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Nairobi Assembly chaos referred to top security body

Thursday, July 30th, 2020 00:00 | By
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i with former Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet launch ‘The National Police Service: From Force to Service’ book at KICD in Nairobi, yesterday. The book is authored by Boinnet. Photo/PD/JOHN OCHIENG

 Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i yesterday warned that perennial chaos at the Nairobi County Assembly will be referred to the top security organ chaired by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

According to Matiang’, the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) will give directions on policing  of the assembly.  

The CS yesterday described the assembly as a “war zone” saying his Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho and the CAS Hussein Dhado would present a paper before the NSAC detailing policing challenges for advice on how best to tackle them.

 “It is no longer an assembly. It is a war zone. We will go to NSAC for advice to ensure that everything we do is lawful.

It may be painful but we have to deal with the menace once and for all,” Matiang’i said.

The Minister revealed that the firearm licences of at least 14 MCAs had been revoked in the recent past and directed the Nairobi Regional Commissioner and his police counterpart to continue with the vetting to ensure that more rogue members are disarmed and their licences revoked.

“Conduct further investigations with a view to withdrawing the licences of those members who do not deserve,” he directed.

The CS said about 30 percent of the officers deployed in the city centre were stationed around the County Assembly, due to frequent chaos.

“We will not bury our heads in the sand. Tough decisions have to be made. It will not be a whimsical decision but we will go through the path of the law,” he said.

Matiang’i said the decision to take stern action was delayed as it must be approved and most importantly, lawful. “If I had the power, I would have acted a long time ago,” he said.

The CS spoke a day after a dramatic day where Mlango Kubwa Ward Representatives Patricia Mutheu was clobbered by armed police at City Hall during her attempt to serve the Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi with the impeachment motion.

On Sunday, close to 60 Ward Reps allied to Sonko vowed to impeach Elachi for the second time accusing her nepotism, corruption and militarizing the assembly.

Speaking in Mombasa, women in civil society groups have come out to condemn the brutal attack of a female Nairobi MCA by four police men at the Nairobi  County Assembly premises.

Deputy Executive Director of Haki Africa, Salma Hemed, said that it is despicable that four police officers would brutalise a defenceless woman.

“This is among the most inhuman and indecent behavior we have seen from our police officers, they could not listen to the legislator and openly beat her up as she sat down and pleaded with them for mercy” said Hemed.

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