Chiefs and assistant chiefs operating in high-risk security areas, and willing to own firearms, have been advised to apply for government-issued guns to enhance their personal safety.
According to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the move is intended to improve the safety of local administrators who have increasingly faced threats from criminals and also political harassment.
However, applicants will be required to register with the Inspector General of Police before being issued with the firearms.
“Much as we would like to equip them with modern tools and encourage them to work closely with area police commanders to deal with criminals, we will also consider arming them for self-protection,” said Murkomen.
He made the remarks during a regional security meeting held in Isiolo town, which brought together senior officials from the Rift Valley and Eastern regions, as well as county security heads from Marsabit, Samburu, Laikipia, Meru and Isiolo.
The CS assured that the government would also provide chiefs with motorcycles to enhance their mobility and establish more administrative units to extend government services to remote areas.
In addition to local administration reforms, Murkomen raised concerns over rising cases of drug trafficking and human smuggling.
He directed police to crack down on perpetrators by arresting them and impounding vehicles used in such crimes, noting that criminal syndicates were exploiting middlemen to conduct illegal activities.
The decision to arm chiefs follows rising insecurity in northern Kenya, including a recent high-profile incident in which five chiefs were abducted by suspected Al-Shabaab militants while travelling from Wargadud to Elwak to prepare for a visit by President William Ruto.
The administrators were taken across the border into Somalia, with officials disclosing that the militants had demanded a ransom of Sh7 million for their release.
After two months in captivity, the chiefs were freed on 6 April in Jilib, Somalia, following negotiations led by local elders.
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