Inspector General (IG) of Police Hillary Mutyambai has defended the arrest of a foreigner caught transporting election stickers at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) yesterday evening.
According to Mutyambai, the police were conducting their job in due diligence.
Speaking today while briefing journalists at his Jogoo House offices Mutyambai maintained that the arrest, impounding, and investigations into the materials was necessitated by the sensitivity of elections materials.
Mutyambai further said that proper procedures were not followed in the transportation of the election-related material.
“The said stickers were not declared as per the law when they were impounded at the airport,” Mutyambai said.
The sentiments by Mutyambai come hours after IEBC demanded said three individuals were being held by police accusing them of intimidation.
Chebukati said IEBC has a legal contract with Smartmatic International B.V, the firm contracted to supply technology materials for the August 9 election and does not understand why police detained its officials.
The foreigners have since been released.
On the same breath the government reiterated its commitment to ensuring next month’s general elections are held in a peaceful and secure environment.
IG Mutyambai disclosed that a total of 150,000 officers will be dispatched to various parts of the country for the polls.
According to Mutyambai, this will include special officers from partner security agencies such as Kenya Prisons Service, NYS, KWS, and Kenya Forest Service.
Mutyambai says the security personnel are under instructions to guarantee Kenyans their safety as they go out to cast their votes and that all and sundry go about their activities without fear of crime or harm.
“Formed police units under the National Police Service have also been deployed across the country to offer tactical support to general duty officers before, during, and after the general elections,” he said
The IG further said police will also deploy five air sets in strategic locations to provide logistical air support when and where required throughout the elections period.
He said the government has resourced the service adequately, especially with additional vehicles and operational equipment, to ensure seamless and continuous operations during and after the polls.
Mutyambai also said the service has established a national election security command center to be manned on a 24-hour basis and is fully equipped to handle election-related security challenges.