• In an escalation of differences between the country’s top two leaders, presidential guards attached to the First Family now report directly to State House.
• Those attached to Ruto report to his official residence in Karen.
Image: FILE
The elite security detail guarding President Uhuru Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and their families have been separated from their central command.
In an escalation of differences between the country’s top two leaders, presidential guards attached to the First Family now report directly to State House. Those attached to Ruto report to his official residence in Karen.
The guards have, since the administration assumed office in 2013, been operating as a unit and could be deployed interchangeably to the two leaders and their families.
The changes in security arrangements have also affected guards of retired President Mwai Kibaki and his family members.
Multiple sources within the presidency told the Star that the move was informed by the souring relationship between Uhuru and Ruto.
Others said the changes are part of measures to tame the spread of Covid-19 between the two high-profile offices.
Ruto has recently been addressing big rallies across the country and the guards have the task of controlling the crowd, putting them at a higher infection risk.
“Those changes took effect recently. The arrangement remains in force until further notice,” a source who requested anonymity for fear of disciplinary action told the Star.
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai declined to comment on the changes.
“We can’t discuss that. The security of the President, the DP and other VIPs cannot be discussed in public please,” he told the Star on phone.
The relationship between President Kenyatta and DP Ruto and their allies has been deteriorating since 2018. In the period, Ruto has made public fears for his life.
In June last year, four Cabinet Secretaries from Mount Kenya were summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations over an alleged plot to assassinate Ruto.
Ruto himself complained to the DCI that the plot was being hatched at the La Mada Hotel by top government officials.
In September last year, three presidential escort guards were arrested at the home of Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi as he tried to evade an arrest warrant issued against him. The three who were at the time attached to Ruto were transferred.
The Presidential Security Unit is established to provide security and protection to the President, the First Family, retired presidents, Deputy President, visiting heads of state and any other VIP as may be directed by the IG.
As the norm and to ensure uniformity, some officers within the unit are rotated between the President and DP.
There are about 200 members of the Presidential Escort Unit who are assigned to the President alone. The elite squad is drawn from Recce and G-Company of General Service Unit. Their commander is a senior officer of the rank of Assistant Inspector General of police.
Former Recce Company commandant Josephat Mbuthia Kirimi is the current commandant of the PEU. He has been in the position since 2018 when he replaced current Deputy Inspector General of Police Edward Mbugua.
The officers say the personnel who accompany the President whenever he is on the move are capable of manoeuvring any threat because of their training and exposure.
The President’s security is from time to time enhanced while he is on the move depending on the nature of threats gathered through intelligence on the ground.
The PEU is a full-fledged team, which can handle the movement of the President and his family any time. Local police support them whenever the President visits.
As part of security measures, they don’t allow armed police officers, especially those with rifles, at events apart from their members.
The President’s security has been compromised four times in recent days.
In March, a Ruiru-based businessman breached protocol and dramatically drove into the official residence of the President.
The businessman’s car joined the presidential motorcade soon after the funeral of Juja MP Francis Waititu.
Security only realised there was trouble after the man's car breached protocol inside State House and drove past the President’s official car as the head of state alighted.
On May 26, a middle-aged man stepped in front of the presidential motorcade during the President’s tour at Lucky Summer in Nairobi.
The Lucky Summer incident occurred days after another man made a move towards the President’s dais as he addressed a meeting in Lamu on May 20.
The man carried his identification card and said later that he had wanted to tell the President he had yet to get a job at the Lamu Port.
Security expert Caleb Wanga said the office of the Inspector General is at liberty to change the security model of the VIPs saying, “there is no need to read too much”.
Wanga told the Star by phone that the changes could partly be because of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to reduce the risk of infection to the VIPs.
“Circumstances change and with it comes the need to review security coverage of the President and the Deputy President among other VIPs. It is not strange. We are also entering into a political season where there could be a need for a certain calibre of security teams to protect the leaders,” he said.
In June last year, State House announced that some of its staffers had contracted coronavirus, the majority of them from the security department.
State House moved some staffers to Harambee House, NHIF building and KICC to decongest the offices and reduce chances of disease spread.
(edited by o. owino)