Entire Wajir County security team to be transferred over incompetence

WAJIR—The entire Wajir County security team is set to be revamped following increase in unsolved terror attacks and shocking revelation that police officers facilitate the availability of drugs to youths in the area.

The first to be affected is the head of the county security team, County Commissioner Lyford Kibaara who stayed in Wajir since 2017 in far reaching series of transfers that will also impact on the entire Directorate of the Criminal Investigations who are believed to aid in the distribution of drugs across the county, particularly the bhang from Ethiopia.

Wajir County Police Commandant, Stephen Ngetich is also set to be transferred too, sources told Kulan Post.

The recommendation of transfer was contained in a report submitted to the Cabinet Secretary for Interior, Fred Matiang’i following two-day meeting between the residents of Wajir and NACADA bosses in early September. 

NACADA heard that DCI officers who overstayed the Wajir station have established beyond-duty relationships making it difficult for the officers to discharge their duties without conflict of interest.

In October, two male DCI officers and a regular police officer were nabbed by a multi-agency security team that had mounted a roadblock in Kanyonyo road along Garissa-Mwingi road.

The three were traveling in a pick-up truck belonging to the DCI office in Wajir County.

Upon search of their vehicle, they were found with 245kgs of bhang, 150kgs of contraband sugar, another 325kgs of government rice and several liters of cooking oil.

The locals blamed the local security team of facilitating the distribution of the drug by offering cover, releasing the nabbed consignment in secrecy and in some instances, providing weak case to the prosecution in a bid to set the drug dealers free.

The team were also found to be in bed with Wajir County government corrupt officials by providing intel on impeding raids on financial books by the detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. DCI officers were also found to have used their expertise to aid the county officials to conceal their tracks. They also lagged to investigate when called on to act by the government watchdogs and activists.

Since early 2018, Wajir County, particularly villages and towns along the border with Somalia has seen spike in attacks targeting police officers, teachers and government officials. 

Just two weeks ago, at least seven police officers returning from leave were among the eleven people killed on Friday evening by a contingent of Al Shabab militants who waylaid a bus heading to Mandera at Wargadud village in Wajir County.

In mid June this year, 12 Administrations Police officers were killed after their Landcruiser ran over landmine planted by Al Shabab militants.