Kenya: Matiangi Asks Police Bosses to Embrace Dialogue to Deter Poll Chaos

Nairobi — Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has urged national administration officials to engage the public in a bid to deter violent confrontations during and ahead of the 2022 General elections

Matiangi while presiding over a meeting with Regional and County Commissioners security status in the country on Wednesday, said the police bosses should divert from old tactics of using force but instead invest more energy in conversations.

Police officers are known to use force ahead of the elections to suppress protests.

“Let us try our best to change approach and tact and now is the time to do that, I am recommending greater involvement of the public in planning elections, we need to invest more energy, not in enforcement and pushing people but more in conversations,” he said.

The Interior CS said the county commissioners should partner with youth, community, and faith-based organizations in discussions that will boost people’s confidence.

“Time is here for us to socialize people not only to have peaceful elections but peaceful and meaningful elections,” Matiang’i added.

He said the country should show political maturity ahead of the general elections in order to reduce tensions and have a meaningful election.

“This time around we should have a different type of environment during elections where we encourage people to talk to one another, we reduce tensions, especially in cosmopolitan areas, so that people are not gullible to things they hear,” the CS asserted.

Matiang’i further lauded county commissioners for “tactfully enforcing COVID-19 containment measures” saying they had shown resilience and greater collaboration with other government agencies.

He however noted the government may be forced to enhance COVID-19 containment measures in Nyanza region amid a surge in infections.