Operation Maliza Uhalifu: State dispatches first batch of new police equipment

The government has dispatched the first batch of newly assembled Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to police officers deployed in Operation Maliza Uhalifu in the North Rift.

The Interior ministry said the vehicles are part of the protection and mobility equipment procured by the government in the last six months for Sh7.6 billion.

The equipment falls under the Police Equipment Modernisation (PEM) programme, which aims to acquire sophisticated protection and mobility equipment.

These include armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and MRAPs, armoured unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones, gunship helicopters, mine sweepers and personal protection equipment to support the sacrificial and patriotic work of frontline officers.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said more consignments will be commissioned around April, May and later this year in a four-year process to adequately equip security agencies for their duties.

Some of the newly acquired equipment, for the security operation dubbed 'Operation Maliza Uhalifu', that Interior CS Kithure Kindiki flagged off on March 20, 2024. (Photo: Interior ministry)

North Eastern's case

In the next phase of the programme, the government will spend another Sh29.4 billion in the next three years on a similar initiative for officers deployed in Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) in the North Eastern Region, the Boni Enclave, the Upper Eastern Region, and the North Rift Valley.

"The equipping and kitting of frontline officers currently deployed in Forward Operation Bases ... remain a top priority for the government," Kindiki said.

"I thank you for your patience. You have been patient even as we tried to put together what you are seeing here today. Continue being patient because more is on the way," he added.

The cabinet secretary reaffirmed the government's commitment to completely suppress and neutralise terrorism, banditry, livestock rustling and other organised criminal activities in the country.

He described this "as a sure way of turning around national security and putting Kenya on a firm path to equitable development and shared prosperity".

Kindiki added that the first batch will also benefit the Northern Grazing Area of Meru, Isiolo and Marsabit counties, where the operation will soon be extended, as well as the North Eastern Region and the Boni Enclave in Lamu, where there are ongoing counter-terrorism efforts.

Among the guests at the dispatch ceremony were Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, Inspector-General of Police Japhet Koome, Deputy Inspector-General Douglas Kanja (Kenya Police Service), Deputy Inspector-General Noor Gabow (Administration Police Service), Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin, and General Service Unit Commandant (GSU) Eliud Lagat.

Key struggles

The new equipment comes in handy following revelations by the service that they have been struggling with replacing and repairing APCs that get hit by IEDs in Northern Kenya due to a lack of funds as spare parts are not locally available.

They said this while presenting their needs to the Justice Maraga Task Force on Police and Prison Reforms, which sought to improve their welfare to improve service delivery.

The lack of funds had pushed the service into improvising for land cruisers to meet the specifications needed to traverse rough terrain in areas like Baragoi and Kapedo, which in turn exposed them to attacks as bandits would shoot at the wheels to demobilise them.

Additionally, the lack of bulletproof windscreens exposes the drivers, who are often the first targets in the event of an attack.

Past efforts to modernise equipment and tools within the service have received minimal support, with the previous government committing billions but releasing only a fraction of the required amounts, leaving security officers exposed while handling complex operations.

The task force recommended that the government honour its pledges to the NPS, as failure to provide officers with the right equipment and tools to undertake professional policing amounts to a violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms.