Inspector General of police Japeth Koome has criticised the media over recent reports on the security of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and former senior cabinet officials.
Koome said there is a need for the media to take heed when doing reports on such issues.
“Colleagues in the media let’s be careful, I know you have all been to school so let us use words carefully,” he said while in Mombasa.
“You’ve talked about withdrawing security but there is a better word such as rationalizing or scaling down. Let us not mix the two.”
Koome said security changes were done in accordance with the constitution and the laws of the country.
The IG was responding to claims that Uhuru’s security team had been withdrawn.
However, Koome said the security detail attached to former President Uhuru Kenyatta had been scaled down but not withdrawn.
The IG said under the National Police Service regulations, the Presidential Escort Unit which is headed by an assistant Inspector General deals with the security of the former President.
“Under the unit, there is the Office of the President, Office of the Deputy President providing security to retired presidents,” Koome said.
The IG said changes in the officer in charge of the security detail followed set regulations of the NPS.
“Once a President retires, the commander is a superintendent of police. What we’ve done is within the mandate of the Inspector General. An officer who was of the rank of an assistant Inspector General was with the retired president,” he said.
When asked about security detail for former cabinet secretaries, he said, it is not possible to offer security in equal measure for those who have retired and those engaged in active duties for their ministries.
