Kindiki orders removal of police commanders from Meru
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kithure Kindiki conducted a purge of security commanders in Meru amid ongoing cattle rustling in the region.
Kindiki ordered the removal of two police commanders from Meru to curb cattle rustling along the Meru-Isiolo border.
"The Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) for Igembe North Sub-County and the Officer-in-Charge of the of the General Service Unit (GSU) command in the area have been removed," Kindiki said in a statement.
The Interior CS Kindiki said the removal of two officers was aimed at facilitating investigations and ensuring efficiency in security operations in the area.
Kindiki stressed that the changes were to be implemented immediately.
Kindiki further said that security in the area had been heightened, adding that multi-agency teams had been dispatched to the disturbed areas.
Shakahola purge
The move to remove the two police commanders in Meru comes weeks after Kindiki transferred all senior Kilifi police officers in the wake of the Shakahola forest massacre linked to pastor Paul Mackenzie's cult.
Addressing the press on Friday, April 28, 2023, after visiting the area, Kindiki said all the top security leadership in the area would be transferred to other parts of the country and new leadership deployed in the place in a bid to heighten security and facilitate proper investigations.
“We will transfer all stations, divisions, sub-counties and county heads, and commanders of all agencies within Kilifi County effective today,” Kindiki said.
“That is the policy of the government, that all agencies including police service, administration police service, criminal investigations and other departments including the National Intelligence Service. All of them must be deployed elsewhere and allow their colleagues from other stations to push the investigations forward," he added.
The Interior CS said that intelligence had established that some of the security personnel may have received reports earlier regarding the cult and ignored them, thus they couldn't be entrusted to conduct the investigations again.
