Mr. Commissioner,
In view of the current state of acute escalation of violent crime across Kenya, it is imperative that you address this epidemic now.
Your vantage as head of police and your previously purported
independence of mind, both offer you a solid platform to effect
positive change.
You may want to consider engaging the nation in direct dialogue, seeking public participation, and encouraging reporting of crime while also inspecting your own force. Media must be encouraged to report incidences of crime whether the crime waves are politically motivated or not. Such reporting must never be suppressed or toned down.
House cleaning
Your journey to effect change must begin with a thorough process of examining the police force itself, including the criminal investigation department (CID). Have an open mind to accommodate the possibility of external interference and politicisation of police activities. If the hypothesis of police involvement in secondary political activities were to be held true, then you may consider the fact that the same conduits through which police are used to quell legitimate political opposition, may be also be the gateways used to influence seasonal waves of crime variations.
The fact is that currently there is a situation portraying your force as ineffective and your leadership as a failure, and if you believe that this is politically motivated, then you know exactly where to begin the fix.Recent claims by civilians about active police involvement in crime are on the increase and well highlighted by certain media quarters.
It is now left upon you Mr. Commissioner, to reveal the true and bigger picture. You must show that this is not a seasonal upsurge but a chronic problem you have struggled to deal with which in fact runs deep within the force itself. Have the courage to clean your house Sir. Rid the force of those colluding firstly, with select media, then extend the broom to those colluding with; used vehicle dealers, auto-part merchants, insurance agents, commercial cattle ranchers, animal slaughter houses, transporters, beef exporters, building contractors, private developers, criminal lawyers, independent reporters, and of - course - politicians.
Your effort to exterminate such surreptitious networks of crime, with tentacles within the force itself will be judged by civilians, the target victims.
The public is privy too to the fact that certain media outlets have entered into political arrangements with powerful shenanigans who attempt to intermittently influence public perception of the nation's security situation at given times. Rise above such subterranean gamesmanship and take charge with honour. Your office must therefore consider lobbying for increasing resources allocated for firearms identification and ballistic examination of weapons used in crime. If the investigations point at use of police firearms in crime, do the needful and institute prosecutions within your own house.
It will not do harm to go through or refer to the corruption authority KACC, the wealth-declaration forms of your high-ranking police officers, some who have become rich by engaging in crime or corruption. It may be quite beneficial to expose and cut-off, the conflicting business links between senior police officers and; the insurance industry, used vehicle dealers, auto-part merchants, beef exporters, transporters, large-scale cattle ranchers, building contractors, biased media and mainstream politicians.
Motor-vehicle theft
Mr. Commissioner, to those bent on portraying this crime as acute and apolitical, go the full hog and fight this crime head on. Follow the trail of stolen vehicles (if any) from Kenya that end up say in Tanzania, Ethiopia or Rwanda and specifically the four-wheel-drive vehicles mostly sold in Uganda, southern Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where some are used in military conflicts. You may establish that they could not have crossed our borders chronically without internal complicity, Sir. You may want to correlate such findings with your investigations into the past activities of the foreign individuals infamously referred to by the media as Armenian mercenaries. May be you could find a solid pattern.
Please have dialogue with Kenyans on your findings. Advise on how gangs steal vehicles and any safety measures civilians need to apply. To help curb the vice, involve the public say by explaining how stolen vehicles especially common models, are sold in the local market under guise as, written-off vehicles bought from insurance companies by legitimate second-hand-car dealers and car repair shops, (complete with registration documents and plates). Public participation is crucial here sir, shed some light about the vehicle import racket too, which robs the country of payment of import tax and duty and how some vehicle importers fit vehicles with the number plates of written-off vehicles.
Another area in police operations that needs urgent reform pertains to the adulterated government issued dummy registration plates for security purposes. Public officials, in collusion with registration officials, are accused of stealing some of these plates, which are then fitted on stolen vehicles, or vehicles imported without paying applicable taxes. They are also accused of supplying the guns to be used in such vehicle theft. Plates akin to these were not-too-long-ago found curiously in an upmarket Runda residence occupied by some purported foreign investors called Artur Margaryan and Artur Sargasyan. Do your best to clean your force Sir.
Cattle rustling
Whereas the raiding of other communities for cattle is an age-old custom, it must be appreciated that in Kenya, it is now an industry possibly worth billions of shillings today, involving many outsiders, and cattle rustled are driven for hundreds of miles and converted into meat for sale in the domestic and international market. Besides that, cattle rustling as a political tool to intimidate communities not toeing the government's line is a fact known to most now. It has led such communities to arm themselves for protection with obvious results. The influx of small arms to protect or rustle cattle, has radically led to an arms race among the pastoralist communities, a reality you must now deal with.
Therefore Mr. Commisioner, it would be good for the nation if you took the bold step of investigating cartels involving commercial beef traders, local politicians and administrators in the pastoralist communities. Some of the names being mentioned as cattle rustlers are known politicians, civil servants and administrators. You must arrest all implicated including their youth hirelings some who have been suspected of being members of your own police force Sir. You may then be able to break their well known routes of transporting stolen animals and recover arms illegally held while identifying complicit slaughterhouses. beef exporters and the political wheeler-dealers playing politics with human lives and cattle.
Bank and other violent robberies
By all accounts, the recent increase in violent bank robberies is a reflection of how your force has gained the notorious perception of being not only involved in the vice directly but also offering indirect protection to the robbers who steal millions from local banks. At least some media quarters gives this perception.
Mr. Commissioner, a big question arises in many minds whether a substantial part of the money robbed is paid to police officers, who offer the robbers protection and certain media sections. Is this a politically engineered attempt to have you replaced? Well, it is thought that, increased police security has often been thought to make it more difficult to rob banks. Do the needful sir if you can and beef up security around banks.
You may also want to follow the trail of stolen bank money in the real estate and matatu industries. The police can curb the laundering of stolen money if it were to focus investigations into sudden property ventures and business acquisitions by individuals who can not genuinely account or show proof of legal income, bonuses or earnings. Simple detective work, even by foot, can demystify a lot currently happening under our noses. Without blatant and senseless profiling for instance, a known matatu tout in his early twenties who suddenly buys his own matatu should naturally invite a few questions from your detectives Mr. Commissioner. Take charge and help our society feel and get safe Sir.
Mungiki and other gangs
Mr. Commissioner, Mungiki a notorious gang classified by the British intelligence MI-6, as a terrorist and criminal gang, alongside other criminal cartels, have gained the informal status of being the civilian and business protectors in certain localities and industries. Is this apparent Mungiki resurgence a media creation or a real phenomenon?
The gang's sophistication is illustrated by their regular collection of "mandated" protection fees and such levies within their areas of jurisdiction. The big question is, are you (as Commissioner) resigned to the fact that the nation has effectively out-sourced our security to such nondescript and illegal outfits when tax-payers continue to pay you as sole law enforcement officers?Can you re-examine the involvement of your junior officers with leaders of such groups as a matter of urgency Sir?
Illegal drugs and narcotics
Mr. Commissioner, Kenya is fast gaining notoriety for being a major trans-shipment centre for narcotic drugs. The recent massive drug haul at JKIA Airport, the lot later said to have been destroyed elicited great public interest and common verdict on police handling of the case may only be known much later. Your force needs to address numerous claims that trade in narcotics is ultimately controlled by highly-placed actors in the Kenyan state, who share in the profits, in return for political protection to the drug barons. Several of the players mentioned, are some key politicians and businesspeople.
A thorough dissection of the entities covering all our Airports and Airstrips ( especially JKIA, Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret, Malindi, Lamu, Wajir, Garissa) and Ports (Mombasa) involving private companies, KPA, KRA, airlines, clearing agencies, carriers, storage warehouses, container depots, and extending to cover local casinos, coastal resorts, villas and hotels needs to be combed up thoroughly by the Anti-Narcotics Unit. The export-import business involved in such businesses as curios, horticultural products, motor-vehicles, and agricultural produce must not be left out Sir? Common talk and unsubstantiated allegations implicate members of your force in a lot of these activities which you need to dig out Sir. Concurrent money laundering activities must be investigated including transfers into real estate, petrol station ventures, stock piling, or bonds purchases.
Illegal arms trade
Mr. Commissioner, many Kenyans have a perception that a covert arms market exists in Eastleigh in Nairobi. Outside Nairobi, the markets are assumed to be more open, especially in the northern parts of Kenya and around Mt. Elgon. Have you not penetrated and busted these illegal trades yet?
Take control
Lastly I would only encourage you to take charge of a single disciplined police force which maintains a safe working distance from politicians, criminals and scrupulous business people in order to guarantee the security of Kenya. Never allow the politicisation of the police.
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So no Mr Obonyo, I am not asking Ali to help me with anything, for all I know I could get shot-up. No wait, they don't shoot white people do they?