State to spend Sh37 billion in upgrading security equipment

The state will spend Sh37 billion in five years to modernize security equipment, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced on Tuesday.

Sh7 billion of the amount was spent on personal protective gear that arrived in the country last year.

The equipment is being assembled by the supplier before being handed over to the government within a week.

The second batch which will include drones and other modern surveillance equipment is expected to arrive in two months and the third batch which will include gunship helicopters and other aerial mobility equipment expected to arrive within the year.

Kindiki announced this during a meeting with frontline officers at the newly established Salama Camp in Lamu.

"We must neutralize and dominate the enemy from all angles and ensure that our country is safe and our people can work, live, and invest in peace and without any fear," said the CS.

He spoke after holding engagements with frontline officers at the newly established Salama Camp before meeting Lamu governor Issa Timamy at the County Headquarters in Mokowe.

Kindiki further called on locals and leaders in Lamu to address grievances peacefully and in accordance with the law, warning those who use grievances to incite ethnic or religious intolerance and disharmony will be dealt with.

"Political leaders have their space, and so do our security officers and the public. The Government is ready and willing to listen to and work with all stakeholders. However, security operations will not be politicized because doing so will jeopardize the safety of our citizens. Security officers must be respected and allowed to do their work. Our officers will also work within the law and in accordance with the Oath they took," added the CS.

The modernization plan is part of efforts by the government to sustain the war on terror and other threats to national security by continuously reviewing its covert and overt interventions.

This also includes the establishment of additional security facilities, constant review of existing operational capabilities and generation of durable solutions to complex security threats that require regular reviews and locally processed measures.

The equipment will be used by both the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces who are in dire need of more equipment and upgrade.

KDF needs to replace a number of its choppers that have crashed in the recent past in accidents in several parts of the country as well as boost its Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs). Police service has been wanting an upgrade of its APCs, aerial capabilities, weapons, communication systems and surveillance equipment amongst other items.

While presenting its petition to Justice David Maraga's committee on prison and police reforms, the National Police Service leadership said it needs to have the current fleet of APCs that are reportedly substandard and unable to offer sufficient protection withdrawn and replaced with modern Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles that provide greater protection to officers responding to bandit and terror threats in the insecurity prone regions of Northern Kenya.

Modern MRAPs are also suited with gun detection, heavy armour and communication systems that enable secure movement.

Currently, the service depends on APCs and modified land cruisers for its operations which lack bulletproof features, gun detection systems and other ICT specifications needed to enable visibility, mobility and communication during operations.

The team said the service has been struggling with replacing and repairing APCs that get hit by IEDs in Northern Kenya.

It is this lack of funds that also pushed the service to improvise land cruisers to bear specifications needed to traverse the rough terrains in areas like Baragoi and Kapedo.

Justice Maraga's report on Police and Prison reforms recommended that the police be provided with modern equipment that meets current and emerging security threats.