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Reign in insecurity, church tells govt

Addressing journalists on Wednesday, NCCK General Secretary Reverend Canon Peter Karanja the government should put measures that will conclusively deal with crime/FILE

Addressing journalists on Wednesday, NCCK General Secretary Reverend Canon Peter Karanja the government should put measures that will conclusively deal with crime/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 27 – The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) has urged the government to adopt firm measures that will help curb the rising cases of insecurity in the country.

The Council argues that the Jubilee Government should honour its campaign promise to protect the citizens.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday, NCCK General Secretary Reverend Canon Peter Karanja the government should put measures that will conclusively deal with crime.

He noted that the root causes of the rising insecurity should be resolved.

“It is not lost on us that insecurity was on area of concern that the Jubilee administration promised to tackle soon after taking office,” he pointed out.

The council put the government on the spot for the Turkana village siege where armed militias held residents of Lorokon village for seven days.

“The recent incident where approximately 900 Kenyans at Lorokon were held hostage by a gang for four days before the government intervened is puzzling, deplorable and only confirms the government’s lethargy in tackling insecurity,” he said.

He expressed concern over the slow response by the police after the attack.

“We demand that the government put in place measures to conclusively deal with crime, which should include educating Kenyans on the role they can play in ensuring security,” he affirmed.

The government has since denied reports of the village resident being held hostage.

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Cabinet Secretary for Interior Joseph Ole Lenku told journalists that facts surrounding the issue had been exaggerated by various reports saying the situation was under control.

Already leaders from Turkana have urged the National Government to meditate between the feuding communities of West Pokot and Turkana Counties in a bid to enhance peace.

Turkana County Woman Representative Joyce Emanikor said on Tuesday that the National government should find a lasting solution to the incessant dispute from both Counties.

“We need to speak with one voice,” she stated.

Speaking to Capital FM News on Tuesday, Emanikor said the recent attack on the residents of Lorokon village was because of the scarce resources in the region.

Emanikor added that neglect of the region could also have caused the insecurity problem.

“The county had been left without any development; there was very little or minimal government presence and the rule of the jungle took over and this why we have this problem,” she said.

NCCK said the government should respond with the same speed to all security challenges across the country.
“The Kenyan government is responsible of ensuring the security of everyone in Kenya despite the challenges in its work,” Karanja said.

He said “there is no reason why any Kenya should feel he doesn’t matter as much to the Kenya government than any Kenyan because it has responsibility over all people.”

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On the issue of Nyumba Kumi initiative, a community policing plan requiring people to know at least ten of their neighbors, the council said as much as it is a good idea, it requires wider consultation.

“Security is not negotiable but the mechanism of pursuing it must not appear to infringe too strongly on freedom of an individual,” he stated.

He said the already started police vetting was going to clean up the service. He urged Kenyans to provide information during the period that may assist in cleaning up the sector.

80,000 police officers are expected to go through the exercise seen by many as the only hope of weeding out bad practices within the police service.

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