6 Key Security Highlights in Kenya as Kindiki Left Interior CS Seat

In 2024, there have been a lot of developments in the security sector. The government headed by President William Ruto had many hits and misses that not only got coverage in Kenya but also outside the territorial borders.

This is the year that, for instance, Kenya had a combined total of 3 Interior cabinet secretaries set foot at the Harambee House office in Nairobi. The development saw Kithure Kindiki, Musalia Mudavadi and Kipchumba Murkomen try to fill the shoes of notable figures within the Ministry such as the late John Michuki, Joseph Ole Nkaiesery, and Fred Matiang’i.

This will go down as one of the years when Kenya’s Inspector Generals of Police count hit 3, with former IG Japheth Koome forced to resign and tough circumstances following the anti-government protests on June 12.

Then came the acting IG Gilbert Masengeli, who took over the reins for a short stint in an era shrouded in police excesses.

Longest serving General Service Unit (GSU) commandant Douglas Kirocho Kanja then took over the reins. His tenure is yet to be weighed at the turn of the year.

Death of Francis Ogolla

Top of the developments in the security sector to start us off was the death of the top-ranked security personnel General Francis Ogolla, the Chief of the Defence Forces(CDF), and nine other soldiers in Elgeyo Marakwet County, about 400km northwest of the capital, Nairobi.

The circumstances surrounding the unfortunate chopper crash of April 18, 2024, would probably go down as one of the saddest and lowest moments in Kenya’s security sector.

Baffling enough is the smoke that continues to hoover on the circumstances under which Ogolla, a four-star General and one of the highest-trained military pilots, died in the chopper crash. This is due to the government’s assurance that the situation would be investigated and reports made public within the shortest time possible, a commitment that seems to have been buried.

Banditry

For a long time, the banditry issue had been a menace to Kenya with locals in areas within the Rift Valley being forced to abandon their homes in fear of attacks from bandits.

However, the government under the leadership of the then Interior CS Kithure Kindiki tried on the security concerns in the areas affected. This saw many bandits pushed out through Operation Maliza Uhalifu North Rift.

The coordinated multi-agency approach and community policing efforts at least salvaged the face of the country.

Terrorism

In the war on terrorism, the government at least tried to revamp its policing approaches. This included the tasking of a multi-agency command comprising Kenya’s Kenya Defence Forces and Homeland Security agencies to tackle the menace.

The coordinated approaches saw Kenya fence up its once porous borders within the North Eastern, Coast and other entry points to keep off insurgents from the outlawed Alshabaab outfit that is based in neighbouring Somalia.

Figures from the Interior Ministry showed that a total of 47 terrorism attempts were thwarted within the last two years, with 11 successful convictions as of December 19.

Kenya also increased its intelligence operations, which saw high-profile security visits in the country, including that of Federal Bureau of Investigations(FBI) Director Christopher Wray on June 8. This visit however had a lot of speculations around it, this is because the Director secretly landed at Wilson Airport, Nairobi after which the details of his arrival hit the news when he began his high-profile engagements.

Haiti Mission

Still, on the multinational security approach, Kenya sent its first batch of police officers for a Multinational Security operation in Haiti. NPS special trained officers set foot in the Caribbean nation on June 25 to help thwart the problematic gangs of Jimmy Chérizier nicknamed Barbecue.

Remember that it is still the same year that Kenya strengthened its international security partnerships, notably with the United States. In May 2024, President Biden designated Kenya as a major non-NATO Ally, enhancing bilateral cooperation in security and defence.

Gen Z Protests

The anti-government protests by Gen Z were one of the lowest moments for the country’s security sector. Cases of forced disappearances, abductions, and extra-judicial killings will go down as one of the worst moments in the government’s failure within the security sector.

To crown it yet, the invasion of Parliament by the anti-government protestors on June 25 left a spat on the faces of key security managers tasked with ensuring the security of the country.

This year, we also witnessed the worst instances of gender-based violence, ever seen before. As of December 19, the then-acting Interior CS Musalia Mudavadi confirmed that a total of 100 femicide cases had been reported.

The developments forced the President to set up a task force with a budgetary allocation to tackle issues of gender-based violence. The government was also forced to set up a femicide crackdown police unit within the DCI.

Anti-femicide Protests

The height of the femicide gist was the discovery of multiple bodies covered in sacks within an abandoned quarry at Kware Pipeline Embakasi and the abductions and subsequent murders of women in Nairobi’s Eastleigh estate.

Despite the sad circumstances surrounding the Kware discovery, the main suspect in the murders, Collins Jumaisi escaped from the police custody at Gigiri police station under unclear circumstances on August 20. Surprisingly enough the police are yet to rearrest the suspect, more than 120 days later.