1. Dr Fred Matiang’i – Interior Cabinet Secretary
Picked to act on the interior ministry after the demise of Major general Joseph Nkaisery, Matiang’i is a man on the hot seat before and a few other days after the polls in ensuring that the country is secure.
The Cabinet secretary that has previously earned him the unofficial title of The Mr. Fix It in the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government because of his record as a sterling performer is carries with not only the burden of Education in the country but that of policing.
This is the fourth ministry Matiang’i is heading in a span of four and a half years after he started with Ministry of ICT where he oversaw fixed the digital migration against major opposition from the major stakeholders.
According to Interior ministry spokesman, “the CS has reformed and brought back to glory the Education system with the country having a Exam cheating free exam in Kenya for over a many years, in his brief stay at Lands docket, he sorted out the Kihiu Mwiri Land Buying Company problems which had lasted for decades.”
Since he was picked bu Uhuru to act, Matiang’i he has held meetings with various stakeholders to update them on election security preparedness and has traveled to several regions to get updates on the security situation.
An early bird and arrives in office by 6am, Matiang’i according to a staff at Harambee House is a stickler for time and event planning and does not like sloppiness.
A teetotaler and a staunch 7th Day Adventist Church adherent who disdains the business of working Saturdays though he was ironically picked on the Saturday…. The big question is if he will manage the Security docket and deliver as effectively as he did in other dockets.
2. Wafula Chebukati
Appointed seven months ago, all eyes are on Chebukati as he prepares to hold one of the the biggest election in Kenya with 19million voters and 15,000 candidates vying for different seats.
A former Mombasa based lawyer, Chebukati has had to battle court cases and numerous allegations of complicity of IEBC in attempts to rig elections and on Friday assured Kenyans that he is up to the task.
His immediate predecessor Isaac Hassan and former Electoral Commission Boss the late Samwel Kivuitu were hounded out after opposition alleged that the presidential votes in the elections they chaired were compromised.
Fighting timelines issues, the IEBC chair has urged Kenyans to be calm and expect a free fair and credible elections.
3. David Maraga – Chief Justice
As head of judiciary, his arm of the government has been and will continue to be key in the running of the elections given that they will be mediate the many complains from them would be elections.
Even before the elections, the judiciary has been has made several judgements on that have had far reaching consequences in this election, but it is in the coming days after elections that Maraga’s call of duty will intensify.
Just like in the previous election, there will most likely be hundreds election petitions acroos the country as 15,000 vie for the several seats.
However the one major petition will be that of the Presidential election incase there will be one. In 2013 Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) Raila Odinga challeneged the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta and supreme court which is mandates to hear the story ruled in favour of IEBC and upheald President Kenyatta’s election.
On Friday Maraga put in place an elaborate system to deal with the large number of petitions expected to arise from the August 8 General Election including publishing a raft of rules that will be used to speed up the hearing of the cases.
The rules, on the Kenya Gazette, require that a presidential election petition be filed seven days after results are announced and the petition deposits sh1million with the courts as security for costs.
4. Samson Mwathathe – Chief of General Service (SGS)
Though apolitical, the involvement and participation of the military has come under sharp focus in the recent days.
On Friday National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka alleged there was an elaborate scheme by the the Kdf officers to be used to rig for President Uhuru Kenyatta.
They went ahead to give names and number of officers who had been earmarked for the assignment of rigging the claims including documents that Kenya Defence Force (KDF) spokesman Joseph Owuoth confirmed authenticity but, said they were quoted out of context and military was apolitical and professional at large.
Given the accusation, eyes will be on Mwathethe on how he will navigate the claims and retain the respectable name of the Kenyans uniformed officers.
5. Joseph Boinet – Inspector general of police
Days before and after the elections, Boinett will be an extremely busy person as works to ensure that the biggest election in the Kenyans history is done in a peaceful and secure manner by ensuring that every Kenyan is secure.
With over 40, 800 polling station Boinet has indicated that two officers will be in charge of stations thus requiring that he has a force of 80,000 on the ground. Over that, there will be other officers that will be expected to over see security matters beyond elections and all indications are that Boinett hands will be full.
Boinett will be expected to command a multi agency security officers who from the police, administration and regular police, prison warders, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers, Kenya Forest service (KFS) and part of the military.
His positions puts him in a precarious position given that he takes responsibility for any misdeed by his officers at the time of operations for the election.
Former police commissioner Hussein Ali was indcted at the International Criminals Court (ICC) for his part in the post election violence that rocked the country in 2007-2008 general election that saw over 1300 people dead.
6. Major General Philip Wachira Kameru – Director General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The man charged with gathering and providing intelligence for the government is one a strategic position in ensureing that the government plans in the run up to the elections and after.
His predecessor Maj-Gen Michael Gichangi claimed that they he had given warning that there would be violence after the 2007 polls and evidence by the spy agency given to the Waki Commission on the 2007-08 post-election violence could formed a key part of the ICC bundle of evidence against the ‘Ocampo Six’, should they be summoned to The Hague.
Kameru a former Airforce commander took over from National Intelligence Service (NIS) director-general will likely have briefed the government about the possible sitution before and after elections.
His intelligence will give play an important role in planning of the security.
Source link-standardmedia.co.ke
