The number of police officers attached to VIPs keeps on going up even as levels of insecurity among the common citizenry keep on roaring.
Appearing on Citizen TV last week Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said that he is working on reducing the number of uniformed officers guarding the VIPs.
In the coming years, Boinnet told Jeff Koinange, VIPs in need of private security will have to acquire the services of private security firms. Officers, he noted will soon no longer provide their services to banks and cash on transit.
Asked how many officers he has assigned to himself, the IG said he has only four. But Kahawa Tungu understands that while active Governors get 5 officers, four to guard their residence and a bodyguard, former Nairobi Governor aspirant, Margaret Wanjiru has two Administration Police (AP) officers guarding her Nairobi residence and a bodyguard.
It has also come to Kahawa Tungu’s attention that “the man of God” Prophet David Owuor, a common citizen, has three officers hanging around his home as he walks around with two others.
While attending his world famous crusades, Owuor has on numerous occasions been provided with security similar to that accorded to presidents.
Sources also disclose that while former Kitui Senator David Musila might have lost his bid in the last general election, he still has two officers at his Nairobi home and a bodyguard.
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Only recently acquitted former Foreign Affairs PS Thuita Mwangi over the fraudulent purchase of Tokyo Embassy, also has two APs guarding his Nairobi residence.
Sources who sought anonymity also intimated that two former judges are also enjoying police protection at a fee.
Ex-Judge Mary Ang’awa, dismissed by the Judges and Magistrates Vetting Board for allegedly bringing the Judiciary into disrepute in 2013, has an administration police bodyguard.
Emmanuel Okubasu, also a former judge declared unfit to serve by the Sharad Rao Committee in 2012, has two police officers at his Nairobi home.
In 2017, President Uhuru Kenyatta claimed that the personnel-to-population ratio stood at 1:390 “compared to the recommended [United Nations] ratio of 1:450.”
The numbers, the Inspector General of Police noted are set to improve in the coming days as the service seeks to recruit more officers and availing to the people more than 64,000 officers.
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