Current national leaders are clueless on security, says John Lonyangapuo

The current leadership has no clue on how to manage security issues in the country, West Pokot Senator John Lonyangapuo has claimed.

Mr Lonyangapuo said both Jubilee and CORD leaders have politicised security.

“It is unfortunate that our leaders both in Government and Opposition have no idea how to manage security in the country. All we are seeing is politics,” he added.

The lawmaker said it was unfortunate that President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and CORD leadership under the stewardship of Raila Odinga, had put a premium on politics above all else.

West Pokot Senator John Lonyangapuo. He says It is unfortunate that our leaders both in Government and Opposition have no idea how to manage security in the country. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

He said the situation would continue deteriorating if leaders cannot appreciate basic ways of dealing with insecurity.

Lonyangapuo said President Kenyatta needs to learn how founding president Jomo Kenyatta and retired president Daniel Moi handled security issues during their reign.

He said though insecurity has been evolving, leaders should shun the know-it-all attitude and “consult those who have been there”.

Workable strategies

He said the country’s leadership hasn’t figured out how to make our border with Somalia safe and there is need to apply workable strategies.

He said instead of having the military inside Somalia, army and police camps should be set up along our borders to ensure that the militants do not sneak into Kenya.

He said the Government should engage people living along the Kenya-Somalia border by first knowing them and then empowering them.

He said the same should be extended to Somalis living across the border so that they become partners in sharing intelligence with security organs in Kenya.

“It is laughable that someone thought of building a wall. That cannot guarantee security. We need to go beyond and ensure that we know the people living along our borders,” he said.