Civilian security banned in political rallies

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Western Regional Commissioner Allan Machari has banned the use of civilians to provide security at political meetings and rallies, saying the region has enough security personnel to secure political gatherings.

Speaking in Busia town after meeting security and National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) from across the county, Machari said authorities were engaging political leaders to ensure that all political gatherings were secured by police officers.

“We are engaging our political leaders to ensure that we don’t use civilians to cover political gatherings. Moving forward, all political gatherings will be covered by police, and no politician or any person holding a meeting will need to organize private security. What is required is to inform the police in advance, and they will provide the security,” he said.

The commissioner said security agencies in Busia County would continue developing strategies to maintain peace and order during the campaign period.

“Our security team has worked tirelessly and managed to curb insecurity cases that have been experienced in Busia County recently. We are beefing up our efforts to ensure that we have an environment free from insecurity so that people can continue with their activities,” he said.

He assured residents that the region is prepared to respond to any emerging security threats, noting that adequate resources are available for deployment when necessary.

“The region is prepared to deal with any emerging insecurity situation because we have enough resources that can be deployed in case of need across the region,” he said.

The commissioner also urged members of the public to work closely with security agencies and government administrators by sharing information that could help prevent and address insecurity.

“We are banking much on the citizens of this region to work closely with the administration and police by sharing information. This will help us deal with cases of insecurity and goonism more effectively and maintain law and order within the region,” he said.

Machari said the meeting with security and administration officers was aimed at reviewing existing security structures and developing new strategies to improve security management.

“We were looking at how our structures have been working to maintain peace and security and come up with new strategies that will help us manage security in a better way. We have insisted on taking responsibility, with every committee responsible for planning and executing security matters within its area of jurisdiction under the guidance of the higher committee,” he said.

By Salome Alwanda and Rodgers Omondi

Reporting originally appeared via Kenya News Agency. Read the full source for additional context.