The safety of the Deputy President is important and cannot be taken for granted. This is because he is the principal assistant to the President and his position is anchored in the Constitution.
In a statement, Interior PS Karanja Kibicho emphasised that “there is no way anyone can downgrade the security of DP William Ruto. It is not possible”. He, however, said Ruto’s handlers were to blame for the security hitches reported so far. The law requires them to submit the itinerary of the DP’s tours across the country to the Ministry of Interior in good time. “This will enable us to liaise with our officials on the ground and ask them to organise security for the DP”.
The PS said, however, the DP’s handlers have not been following this protocol. Instead, he said, they have set a parallel security team in his office. With no prior information, it is hard for them to know about these visits. At times, he would attend five functions in one day. This would need proper coordination. Sometimes, we are forced to speedily mobilise the police to rush to the venue.
This is what we did in Tetu, he said. The youth, who had gathered, started marching towards the AIPCA church while chanting anti-Ruto slogans. They were repulsed by the plainclothes policemen. A week earlier, the DP had launched a police station in Njoro, Nakuru county. Again, top security officials were not present because the ministry had not been informed about this visit. The DP was only accompanied by his political allies led by Senator Susan Kihika.
I hope the DP’s office has learnt a big lesson. One would no longer expect them to handle the DP’s security casually. If they follow the right channels, the security scares will be contained, as will accusations thrown at the ministry.
Political Analyst and Blogger
