Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has revealed the main reasons that led to the reshuffle of Deputy President William Ruto’s security personnel.
On Thursday, August 26, officers from the General Service G-Company unit that form part of the Presidential security were withdrawn from the Deputy President’s official residence in Karen and replaced by the Administration Officers drawn from the Security of Government Buildings Unit.
While Police spokesperson Bruno Shioso said the reshuffle done was a ‘normal’ reassignment of duties within the National Police Service to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i claims the move was reached after it emerged the DP was misusing the elite GSU officers.
While appearing before the National Assembly’s Committee on Administration and National Security on Wednesday, September 1, Matiang’i said Ruto had reassigned the elite GSU attached to him to undertake non-core functions that had nothing to do with his official duties.
A source who attended a closed-door session between the Interior CS and the parliamentary committee told the Daily Nation that the former Agriculture Minister had re-deployed the elite GSU attached to him to guard people he termed as ‘criminals’ who are a threat to the state.
“This is what forced the government to rearrange the security detail in the DP’s residences which saw officers from the General Service Unit taken away and replaced with officers from the critical Infrastructure and Vital Installation Unit of the Administration Police Service,” the source said.
According to the source, the deputy president had allocated four of his elite GSU officers to Malindi Member of Parliament Aisha Jumwa and her Kapseret counterpart Oscar Sudi.
The two who are DP Ruto’s diehards had their security details withdrawn after they were arraigned on criminal charges. Jumwa was arraigned for murder charges whereas Oscar Sudi was charged with hate speech.
Jumwa was accused of killing Ngumbao Jola when chaos erupted during the Ganda Ward by-election in October 2019.
The Interior CS also laid bare William Ruto’s expansive property and business ownership across the country which are under round-the-clock police protection.
Matiang’i also listed Ruto as the most protected Deputy President in Kenya’s history compared to other occupants of the defunct Vice President’s office since Kenya attained independence in 1963.
The tough-talking CS said this after allies of the DP complained following the withdrawal of the GSU officers who were replaced by their counterpart from AP.
