Police censured for failure to catch Uhuru Park blasts culprits

By JOHN NGIRACHU jngirachu@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted Tuesday, August 24 2010 at 22:00
In Summary

MPs debate budget and accuse police of not acting with sufficient zeal

Failure by the police to apprehend those behind the June 13 grenade attack at Uhuru Park came back to haunt the Internal Security ministry as its vote was scrutinised in Parliament on Tuesday.

The force was upbraided and accused of performing poorly compared to its Ugandan and Tanzanian counterparts.

Defence assistant minister David Musila raised the matter after minister George Saitoti presented the Sh45 billion budget, which he said had been underfunded by Sh11 billion.

Gichugu MP Martha Karua was emphatic that the ministry could perform better with its allocation instead of complaining.

No new leads

“We must condemn the leadership of the police for not finding the people behind the Uhuru Park bombings. The Ugandan police have arrested bombers there, the Tanzanians have arrested and prosecuted human traffickers, but ours here have done nothing,” she said.

She also criticised the police for its active role in investigations into the July 11 bombings in Uganda yet they had not got anywhere in the Uhuru Park blasts.

Police Commissioner Mathew Iteere, who was in the House on Tuesday, said on July 6 that there were no new leads on the grenade attack against a ‘No’ rally at the park.

Ms Karua continued: “Police are not projecting reforms in the proper way. A day after the new Constitution was passed, I saw on television police in Mombasa beating up traders at Kongowea market. The following day, I saw them lobbing teargas at octogenarians at Ruiru.”

She said the head of police under the new constitution should not be a business-as-usual type.

Prof Saitoti had told the House that Sh2.16 billion would be spent by the Public Works ministry to build headquarters for newly created districts.

He said the police force faced a critical shortage of vehicles and despite acquiring 233 new ones in the last financial year, it needed 9,499 new vehicles to effectively carry out its duties.