Nyeri: Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has ordered the immediate deployment of a special security team in Nyeri County to combat the rising cases of counterfeit alcohol and sale of drugs. Murkomen has said that the team will operate in the county for the next three weeks. He warned that the crackdown, which is targeting to dismantle the network of manufacturers, distributors and sellers of second-generation liquor and other drugs, will be swift, firm and uncompromising.
According to Kenya News Agency, Murkomen has directed the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, to deploy new police officers alongside a new sub-county police commander in Mathira West who is committed to enforcing the law after the incumbent was accused by area leaders of colluding with the unscrupulous illicit brew traders. He also vowed to take firm administrative and legal action against police officers found abetting the illegal trade.
Murkomen said that the government has invested in programmes geared at improving their welfare and will not allow a clique of few officers to frustrate government efforts in tackling the crime and other vices in the society. He particularly singled out police officers who have the habit of collecting bribes and protection fees from the traders, warning that there will be no transfers for the errant officers.
Murkomen also raised concerns over the handling of cases linked to illicit brews and drugs by the judiciary, alleging that some suspects were quickly returning to the illegal trade due to lenient bails and bond terms. He nonetheless called for a closer collaboration between the security agencies and the judiciary to ensure stricter enforcement of the law.
The CS spoke on Sunday at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, Ngaini, in Mathira, where he was the chief guest for a fundraiser to aid the construction of the church. Murkomen used the platform to defend President William Ruto’s track record, arguing that the Kenya Kwanza administration had made considerable progress in delivering on its campaign pledges.
The CS highlighted the ongoing construction of roads in the country, the Affordable Housing programme, and the improved healthcare system under the Social Health Authority as some of the major milestones that the administration had achieved in the last three years. While expressing optimism that the Head of State would secure a second term in office, Murkomen also pointed out there are improved earnings in the agricultural sector, highlighting that the government was putting in place measures that are geared towards improving the living standards of Kenyans.
The CS who was accompanied by the Nyeri elected leader also dismissed claims that the government had been marginalised by the Kenya Kwanza administration, noting that the region remains central to the government’s development plans. The CS also took a swipe at former President Uhuru Kenyatta for siding with the united opposition. He asked President Kenyatta to follow in the footsteps of Mwai Kibaki by conducting himself as an elder and a statesman who can unify the country and steer clear of divisive politics.
