Interior and National Administration Kipchumba Murkomen
landed in Meru to start his tour of the region to address security issues.
He will also visit Tharaka Nithi and Embu counties in his
campaign that started on Wednesday.
First on the menu will be a security meeting with the Meru
County Security Committee, followed by a spot check on the mobile ID
registration exercise and the NACADA outreach campaign.
The greater part of the day will be spent listening to
plenary discussions and contributions at the Jukwaa la Usalama town hall at the
Kinoru Stadium.
The Jukwaa la Usalama townhalls convene the National
Government Administration Officers (NGAO) hierarchy from the Regional
Commissioner to the Assistant Chief, security personnel, local leaders,
community opinion leaders, business community and the youth.
They are aimed at discussing county-specific security and
development concerns and exploring possible solutions.
The forums also afford the CS an opportunity to listen to
the challenges that administration officers and security personnel undergo in
their day to day work.
In Meru County, Murkomen will be keen to get fresh insights
on the cattle rustling challenge along the Meru-Isiolo border that affects
seven sub-counties- Igembe North, Mutuati, Igembe Central, Tigania East,
Tigania West, Buuri East and Buuri West.
Even though security interventions are paying off, the
strategies in place have to be stepped up to root out the problem.
The other major security challenges in the county are the
long-standing boundary and land dispute along the Meru-Tharaka Nithi boundary.
The Meru County Jukwaa la Usalama is the tenth forum that
has seen the CS traverse the Coast and Lower Eastern regions.
The innovative approach to security and service delivery management
has already yielded major policy shifts from the initial interactions with
locals and those charged with serving them.
Notable of which are the announcement by the CS that no
security personnel will serve in operational areas for more than three months,
Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs whose personal security are under threat to be
licensed to own firearms.
He also announced that every Sub-County will have two
Principal Chiefs, security personnel approaching retirement to be transferred
to a station of their choice where they will retire, and land disputes to be
referred to the National Security Council for policy directions among others.
