NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29 – Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has directed Inspector General of Police to conduct disarmament at the Nairobi County Assembly following the recovery of 14 guns.
Speaking during the launch of a new book by former Inspector General Joseph Boinnet documenting his memoirs and the National Police Service (NPS) transformation journey, Matiang’i expressed anger on the increased fighting within the City Hall.
He said nearly 30 per cent of police officers in Nairobi CBD are currently deployed at City Hall amid rising insecurity and tension within the city building.
“Our security deployment in city hall is high and this is because of poor criminality, it is no longer an assembly, it’s a war zone, every time there are people fighting,” Matiang’i said.
“I have asked the IG and regional security officers to disarm everyone around that county assembly, we already collected 14 firearms, this shows the level of criminality in that place,” he added.
He said the ministry will direct the Firearms Licensing Board (FLB) to cancel the licenses of those with firearms within City Hall.
“Let us tell the firearm licensing arm board to withdraw the firearms from them because they can do something unusual. Enough is enough, we cannot go on this way,” the Interior CS said.
Matiang’i further announced that the interior ministry will seek further guidance from the National Security Advisory Committee (NSAC) on how to police the Nairobi County Assembly.
“We will go to NSAC and discuss with a view to provide a paper to the National Security Council to be guided on how to police county assembly of Nairobi, we are sick and tired of living in this kind of manner,” the CS noted.
While acknowledging the improvement within the police service, he condemned the excessive use of force on the public.
This comes a day after a video emerged showing officers clobbering Mlango Kubwa Member of County Assembly Patricia Mutheu within the precincts of the County Assembly.
”One or two people can mess the good work of our police workers, I do not condone any violent handling of members of public,” Matiang’i remarked.
MCA Mutheu was assaulted on Tuesday a day when City Hall was marred with protests as tensions heightened between lward representatives allied to embattled Nairobi Assembly Speaker Beatrice Elachi and Governor Mike Sonko.
The Interior CS called for a quick resolution of the stalemate in the County Assembly.
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