Mudavadi assures nation of tight security during Christmas season

Prime Cabinet Secretary and Acting Interior CS Musalia Midavadi (centre) flanked by Interior CS Raymond Omollo (2nd right) Police DIG Gilbert Masengeli (2nd left) and other government officials during a security briefing ahead of the Christmas and New Year Festivities at Harambee House, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Kenyans can rest assured of their security during this Christmas season, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi says.

Mr Mudavadi, who is also the acting Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary, says anyone intent on engaging in criminal acts during the festive season will be dealt with decisively.

The PCS issued the stern warning even as he called on citizens to work with security agencies and report suspicious threats.

“Reporting criminal activities and suspicious behaviour and providing information to authorities can make significant difference in building a safer society,” said Mudavadi.

Mudavadi was speaking on Thursday while giving an overview of how the security of the country has been throughout the year.

In his statement, Mudavadi dismissed the claims of abductions in the country in recent months, describing them as misinformation propagated through social media.

It also emerged that some 7,107 Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) cases were reported between September 2023 and December 2024 and 100 femicide cases from August to November 2024.

Mudavadi also reported that security forces thwarted 47 terrorist attacks nationwide from January 2022 to November 2024 in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism in the country.

The PCS faulted the numerous reports of abductions claiming that the cases were lawful arrests done under the law.

“Social media has been misused to perpetuate a narrative that certain lawful arrests were abductions when in fact those arrested are either awaiting trial or have been released after the necessary legal procedures,” said Mudavadi.

He particularly singled out the highly protested disappearance of the two Kitengela brothers and an activist popularly referred to as Kitengela three claiming that some of the people allegedly kidnapped were safely reunited with their families.

“All arrests will be conducted within the bounds of the law, and we remain committed to upholding the principles of justice and due process. Any officer found contravening these principles will be held accountable,” Mudavadi said.

On the rising SGBV cases and femicides, the PCS noted that Nairobi County is leading in the statistics while Samburu and Mandera counties had the lowest SGBV incidents.

“The Inspector General of Police has formed a specialised Missing Persons Unit domiciled at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Homicide Unit to deal with cases of femicide. So far, the DCI has completed investigations into these and the majority are pending before court,” said Mudavadi.

In response to the femicide crisis, Mudavadi noted that President William Ruto had directed the formation of a presidential working group to propose actionable solutions.

“During that period, several terrorists were eliminated and the government pushed for 11 successful convictions. The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) impact score decreased from a High in 2023 to a Medium in 2024,” he said.

While general crime has reportedly decreased, Mudavadi revealed that there was an increase of cases of vandalism targeting power infrastructure. “There are increased incidences of vandalism,” he said.