Deputy President William Ruto Sunday said the government has stepped up recruitment of police and will recruit 10,000 extra police officers this year to help combat terrorism and other crimes in the country.
Saying the government will not spare any efforts in neutralizing terrorists; Mr Ruto noted that more resources will be invested in the police service including modern equipment and in training to cope with the task at hand.
The Deputy President made it clear that the government will not negotiate with terrorists or their sympathizers until the vice is eradicated in the country and the region adding the safety of Kenyans and the country superseded other considerations.
“We shall not negotiate with the terrorists as there is no middle ground on this matter. We must fight terrorism to its logical conclusion,” he added.
Mr Ruto was speaking at ACK Murguiywo church, Nandi County during celebrations marking the75th anniversary since the establishment of the Anglican Church in Nandi.
The Deputy President at the same time put corrupt civil servants on notice saying the same viciousness that is being put in fighting terrorism will be applied in the fight against graft in the public service.
Noting that both terrorists and corrupt civil servants were economic saboteurs Mr Ruto noted that both their activities were eroding the gains made and were putting the future of this country and her people in jeopardy.
He said, “Terrorism is the same as corruption and we shall fight it with the same viciousness we are fighting terrorism so that resources meant for the development are used on the intended purpose and not wasted through corruption.”
He noted that resources to the county governments had been increased from 190 billion last year to 226 billion this year adding these money must be prudently used on the development of roads, health facilities, water and agriculture whose development have been devolved to the counties.
Ruto asked the governors to utilize the funds well to improve the living standards of the rural populace saying they should accept to be accountable to the people who elected them to those positions.
The Deputy President also announced that the cost of fertilizer had now been reduced to shs2,000 per bag and asked farmers to take advantage of the subsidized prices to improve on crop production.
The leader of the majority in the Senate Prof Kithure Kindiki charged that the security challenges being experienced in the country now were entrenched in the country during the grand coalition government which was characterized more by infighting between members of the coalition partners.
“But I am convinced that under the government of Jubilee, this terrorism menace will be overcome,” he said.
He urged the government not to negotiate with the terrorists saying the issue of terrorism is such a serious matter that it was not open to negotiations. “In this matter, either one is with the people of Kenya or with the terrorists there is no middle ground,” he said.
