In the second part of a special series, five presidential candidates assess the poor state of security and propose ways to make our towns and villages safer
TODAY’S QUESTIONS:
• What has led to the high levels of insecurity in Kenyan cities and towns? What solutions do you propose?
• Why is there such a high level of insecurity in Kenyan rural areas and what solutions do you propose?
BACKGROUND
Insecurity features high up on the list of the most important issues Kenyan voters would want to see addressed urgently.
In all the recent national surveys carried out by independent pollsters, insecurity ranked just below the lack of jobs and the high cost of living among the most serious problems facing the Kenyan public.
How the Presidential Candidates in the 2013 General Election propose to address insecurity – both urban and rural – is therefore of great interest to Kenyans young and old.
Presidential Candidates deal with issues
In the third of a series of articles under the banner of the Standard Group’s I Stand for Kenya Campaign, the Presidential Candidates address the public at large on the important issues they face.
Previous articles articles have tackled the high unemployment rate and measures each candidate would take to create jobs.
Running Mates have their say
The Standard platforms will provide an open forum for the running mates and other senior representatives to explain why their candidate is the best choice for Kenya. They would have the opportunity to say what they think are the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.
President v President
Finally, The Stand campaign will provide a platform for the candidates for the first time to directly address a limited number of questions to each other in writing. The answers will likewise be published for public scrutiny.
James ole Kiyiapi
What one initiative do you plan to undertake in the first 100 days to improve urban security?
Just light up the cities and towns. There will be a programme of maintaining and extending public lighting and opening up access in the urban areas by road, especially in the informal settlements. The roads in the settlements and feeders will enable rapid response to distress calls. Take Kibera. The connection by road that could ease traffic flow and access between Langata and Ngong Road is hampered by lack of a basic bridge whose cost is small.
It is clear the security services need equipment and motivation now and not tomorrow. I was in Kibwezi on Thursday and the only police vehicle broke down when officers came to provide security for my campaigns. I will seek to review security services salaries without delay. Now that we have proposed a downward review of the huge salaries for the high ranking few, we can release money for theneeds, like salaries for health workers, teachers and security services. A collaborative effort between the residents and security and intelligence services will be given formal structure. We do not want vigilante groups, but proper community policing.
What one initiative do you plan to undertake in the first 100 days to stem cattle-rustling in northern Kenya?
There is no silver bullet for a complex situation such as cattle-rustling. But one of the effective responses is to enable ground and air response, and satellite- based monitoring of stock movements. The people themselves are the first line of defence in this matter and we must immediately engage with them, and remove camouflage guises like political thuggery and criminal gangs acting under cover of traditional cattle-rustling.
We may need to open up stock markets and abattoirs in these regions to avoid commercially driven cattle rustling. This will require close collaboration between national and county governments and better coordination of security agencies.
Peter Kenneth
What has led to the high levels of insecurity in Kenyan cities and towns? What solutions do you propose?
The main cause of insecurity is the high level of unemployment; at least 40 per cent of young people are unemployed and many others are underemployed. Further, we have experienced a high population growth rate coupled with a significant rural-urban migration without matching investments in the security infrastructure in the urban areas. Our police are ill equipped and demotivated due to their poor remuneration, housing and working conditions.
For Kenyans to be able to contribute to the growth of the economy through work and investment, they must feel safe. I will fast-track and build on the reforms in the police service that are currently underway. I will invest in the security sector to ensure that we recruit enough police officers to patrol our streets, build housing units and adequately equip our police officers. Further, I will fast-track the ongoing judicial reforms to ensure that criminal cases are expedited so that criminal elements can be put away. Together, with the reforms that I will carry out in Infrastructure, Healthcare, Education and Water, we will be able to create a thriving economy that will create opportunities for all our young people. When our young people are gainfully employed, we will be able to reduce the rising incidences of crime.
Why is there such a high level of insecurity in Kenyan rural areas and what solutions do you propose?
There is a major lack of opportunities for individual advancement in the rural areas. Agriculture was the mainstay of our rural population but it no longer pays. The lack of opportunities is aggravated by the fact that since the advent of Free Primary Education, many young people in rural areas are educated but unemployed leading to a general state of hopelessness. As expected, this gives rise to serious insecurity.
I will revamp the agricultural sector in order that many young people can find meaningful opportunities in the rural areas. I will facilitate value addition to agricultural produce to create higher earnings for the rural population. I will also create incentives for manufacturers of consumer products and other entrepreneur to set up plants in rural areas in order to create more opportunities for young people.
Raila Odinga
What has led to the high levels of insecurity in Kenyan cities and towns? What solutions do you propose?
The lack of a secure environment remains the topmost concern of the people of Kenya. People cannot fully devote their energies to the tasks of nation building when they are living permanently under the threat of mugging, rape, robbery, murder, abduction or terrorist attack. Inter-ethnic and inter-clan raids have also claimed many lives among our communities, especially in the pastoralist regions.
In the urban areas, high unemployment rates and poverty have contributed to the rise of crime and violence. So has the exposure of young people to external influences through films, television and the Internet. Drug and substance as well as the proliferation of small arms have played their part in fuelling insecurity in both rural and urban settings.
Low police to citizen ratio has led to the proliferation of vigilantes and militias. Some out-dated cultural practices like cattle-rustling have also evolved into full-time criminal enterprise. Needless to say, corruption in the police force has also gravely undermined national security.
Why is there such a high level of insecurity in Kenyan rural areas and what solutions do you propose?
The new constitution has provided the basis for addressing this. The Constitution provides a framework for major security sector reforms that reflect the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence and the Task Force on Police Reforms.
Faithful implementation of the Constitution, to which I am religiously committed, will address the fundamental flaws in our security architecture. Besides, we shall equip the Police Service with the necessary tools, kits and equipment to provide security while at the same time giving Parliament and the courts an oversight role to ensure that these powers are not abused. We intend to strengthen community policing to protect citizens through sharing vital information with the police system for safety, security and sustainable development. The CORD government shall also improve border policing to stamp out the smuggling in of small arms and narcotics.
Uhuru Kenyatta
What has led to the high levels of insecurity in Kenyan cities and towns? What solutions do you propose?
Despite successes in the fight against crime and terrorism in recent years, Kenya continues to suffer from high levels of insecurity in both urban and rural areas. We feel this state of affairs is unacceptable and will work to transform our great nation into a secure home for all its inhabitants.
There are social, as well as practical, factors that contribute to the high levels of crime present throughout the country.
A full 70 per cent of our youth is unemployed. This unemployment is one of the root causes of our country’s massive poverty rates and, in turn, leads to many incidences of crime. There exists a generation of Kenyans who have never had a formal job, who have watched other people enjoy wealth can only imagine. We must correct this social injustice, create jobs, empower our youth and end the story of two Kenyas.
Practically, we lack the necessary infrastructure to fight crime in our communities. There are no streetlights in our cities, not enough police to patrol our streets and the police aren’t properly equipped. We must also improve the practices and reputation of our justice system, which has often appeared corrupt and aloof.
Terrorism presents a long-term threat to our stability and must be resolved. Some suggest Kenya would be safer if we stopped our fight against al-Shabaab in Somalia. They are wrong. We’ve destroyed their base and must press on to ensure lasting peace in the region.
Why is there such a high level of insecurity in Kenyan rural areas and what solutions do you propose?
We cannot address crime without addressing poverty and unemployment. We need to focus on economic development, job creation and the extension of credit to potential entrepreneurs and small businessmen if we are to make our streets substantially safer.
We also need to get tougher on crime itself – we will increase our police forces by 15,000 annually and form a new joint police and security anti-terrorism unit to fight threats from terrorist groups. One of the main causes of insecurity in rural areas is ethnic tension caused by land disputes. We will set up local community land tribunals to help resolve such disputes and actively promote peace dialogues.
Musalia Mudavadi
What has led to the high levels of insecurity in Kenyan cities and towns?
There are many causes of insecurity in Kenya and they can be quite complex. Government policy and corruption has had a major effect on areas such as unemployment, health and education.
However, there is also the issue of natural environmental factors. Kenya is prone to extreme climatic changes, bringing about drought and flooding. This makes agriculture and the natural habitat unreliable and also has an effect on wildlife and people. This also leads to unreliable supply of water.
Poverty is a widespread problem, with rural areas in particular having extremely high unemployment rates. Many of those who do work earn very low wages and live in poor conditions. Poverty and unemployment then breed crime encouraged by a corrupt government that is less focused on the welfare of the people and development of the nation.
What solutions do you propose?
Our country is undergoing fundamental changes by reforming key institutions of governance. We must now focus on stabilizing these institutions to work and focus on economic growth.
Emerging security threats highlight the need for an effective National Security Policy that integrates resources with public participation in order to secure preventative action at all times.
The safety and security of people and their properties is the first duty of governments. In this regard, the Amani Coalition government shall aim at achieving a police: citizen ratio of 1:400, as per the internationally recognised best practice, and increased police outlets in the country such as police stations and police posts. Special attention shall be paid to the bandit and cattle rustling prone areas by providing special training to those posted in these areas. Besides, the Amani Coalition government will undertake to provide appropriate and adequate equipment and vehicles and aircraft for rapid response and deployment.
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