‘Men in black' are back in Kisumu, causing jitters among residents
'Men in black' are pictured at a political rally at Uhuru Park in Nairobi on May 31, 2014.
The Kisumu County security team has profiled dozens of ‘men in black’ who normally accompany politicians as guards, as they seek to prevent political violence ahead of the August 9 General Election.
The young men are being watched by security agencies as one of the measures adopted to avert violence during campaigns and after the elections.
Kisumu County Commissioner Josephine Ouko asked the youth not to allow politicians to use them for personal gain.
"For the past two years, we have profiled criminals who are usually hired by politicians to cause chaos or harm opponents, especially the ones always running around politicians,” Mrs Ouko.
“Names were forwarded by community members who know them well because they are usually seen in political gatherings."
Some pockets of violence have been reported in Migori, Kisumu, Kisii and Homa Bay involving young people who offer security to politicians.
Mrs Ouko said Kisumu County has evolved from bad practices, warning that those found to be behind political violence would be arrested and charged in court.
"Candidates found to be behind the violence will face the full force of the law. They will also be barred from taking part in the elections,” she said.
Mrs Ouko said security agencies had also mapped violence hotspots in the region and have initiated peace initiatives.
Some of the hotspots are Kondele, Manyatta, Nyalenda, Obunga, Bus Park and the borders of Kisumu with Nandi, and Kericho and Vihiga counties.
"We have mapped all the hotspots because of their history of violence during elections. What we are now doing is engagement with various stakeholders and the community comprising youth, women and the elderly, especially along the border, to foster peace," she said.
Mapping
She added that after mapping the hotspots, they activated peace forums and committees at the grassroots.
The collaboration between the cross-border security teams has not only brought cohesion and tranquillity between communities in the area but also helped in reducing insecurity.
Mrs Ouko also asked leaders to talk to their supporters about managing an electoral win or loss so that peace can be maintained.
She also said security forces have planned for any eventuality.
She was speaking at a stakeholders’ forum organised by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP) and the Political Parties Liaison Committee.
Security agents and representatives of political parties and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) attended the meeting.
Calls for political parties to tolerate each other dominated the forum.
Ms Florence Birya, an official with the ORPP, urged political parties to rally their members and supporters to maintain peace.
“We have been working with all the 89 registered political parties to preach cohesion even as they compete. Achieving peace is not making a statement, you have to practically demonstrate it and this is what we are doing by ensuring we do it through peace caravans,” Ms Birya said.
A peace caravan flagged off at the Ciala Resort after the forum involved representatives of political parties taking the message of cohesion across the country.
Meanwhile, as the August 9 polls approach, the IEBC has also embarked on engaging, training and sensitising election stakeholders on poll security.
The programme brought together stakeholders from across nine counties in the former Nyanza and Western provinces. It involved security personnel from the National Police Service, Judiciary, county governments, civil society and media.
They sought to come up with ways of identifying election threats and devising ways of mitigating them before they occur.
Speaking at the function in Kisumu, IEBC official Linus Onyango urged election stakeholders to work as a single unit rather than acting separately as witnessed in the past.
"We are [working on] a joint elections security plan and management with nine county commanders and we hope that election stakeholders will act as one entity," he said.
Kisumu County elections manager Solomon Mudanya said: "We will be rolling out this programme to the county and sub-county level once it's done at regional levels so that all the security personnel and other players are involved in this process."
