Murkomen deploys special security team to combat illicit brews and drugs in Nyeri

Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, has ordered the immediate deployment of a special security team in Nyeri county to combat the rising cases of counterfeit alcohol and sale of drugs.

Murkomen has said that the team will operate in the county for the next three weeks.

He warned that the crackdown, which is targeting to dismantle the network of manufacturers, distributors and sellers of second-generation liquor and other drugs, will be swift, firm and uncompromising.

“We cannot continue living in a society where illicit alcohol is being sold and destroying an entire generation, while a few people enrich themselves from the illicit trade. That must come to an end and must be done with finality. And I want to ask the Inspector General of Police to send a special security team who will stay in this county for 2-3 weeks as they weed out these criminals until this county is free of these cruel traders,” he said.

The CS has also directed the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, to deploy new police officers alongside a new Subcounty Police Commander in Mathira West, who is committed to enforcing the law after the incumbent was accused by area leaders of colluding with the unscrupulous illicit brew traders.

He also vowed to take firm administrative and legal action against police officers found abetting the illegal trade.

Murkomen said that the government has invested in programmes geared at improving their welfare and will not allow a clique of a few officers to frustrate government efforts in tackling crime and other vices in the society.

He particularly singled out police officers who have the habit of collecting bribes and protection fees from the traders, warning that there will be no transfers for the errant officers.

“We have done quite a number of things to ensure that we are reforming the police service. The question I ask is, why are officers still collecting bribes from criminals who are selling illicit alcohol?” Posed the CS.

“I have directed the Inspector General of Police to deploy new officers who are committed to their duties in this sub-county, and I want an answer from the County Police Commander and Regional Police Commander in the next one week. I also want all the illicit and counterfeit alcohol in this county to be eliminated,” he added.

Murkomen also raised concerns over the handling of cases linked to illicit brews and drugs by the judiciary alleging that some suspects were quickly returning to the illegal trade due to lenient bails and bond terms. He nonetheless called for a closer collaboration between the security agencies and the judiciary to ensure stricter enforcement of the law.

“I urge the County Commissioner, through the court users’ committee, to sit down with the magistrates and judges and agree on how there is going to be proper enforcement so that we don’t leniently release these criminals back to society,” he said.

The CS spoke on Sunday at the Presbyterian Church of East Africa Ngaini in Mathira where he was the chief guest for a fundraiser to aid the construction of the church.

Murkomen used the platform to defend President William Ruto’s track record, arguing that the Kenya Kwanza administration had made considerable progress in delivering on its campaign pledges.

The CS highlighted the ongoing construction of roads in the country, the Affordable Housing programme, as well as the improved healthcare system under the Social Health Authority, as some of the major milestones that the administration had achieved in the last three years.

While expressing optimism that the Head of State would secure a second term in office, Murkomen also pointed out that there is improved earnings in the agricultural sector, highlighting that the government was putting in place measures that are geared towards improving the living standards of Kenyans.

“I believe that as we go to the 2027 elections and even currently, Kenyans can use the manifesto as their marking scheme to assess whether the Kenya Kwanza administration has delivered what it promised during the 2022 election campaigns or not,” said the CS.

The CS, who was accompanied by Nyeri elected leader, also dismissed claims that the government had been marginalised by the Kenya Kwanza administration, noting that the region remains central to the government’s development plans.

“The president has not and will not divert from his pledge to stand together with the people of the Mount Kenya region. Our opponents know that if we were to go for facts, they know that the people of Mount Kenya have been an integral part of the President’s agenda, and there is no place or evidence to show he has sidelined the people of Mount Kenya; he has been very faithful,” he said.

The CS also took a swipe at former President Uhuru Kenyatta for siding with the united opposition. He asked President Kenyatta to follow in the footsteps of Mwai Kibaki by conducting himself as an elder and a statesman who can unify the country and steer clear of divisive politics.

“The country had invested in him. He was president for 10 years. He should actually be available to counsel and guide both the opposition and government, and become an elder who can take all of us forward. He should be above all of us so that we can consult him. And that is what we will also be expecting of William Ruto when he retires. We are expecting him to be an elder who will be mentoring us to make Kenya a prosperous and enviable country,” he said.