Mandera Governor Ali Roba (left) has insisted that County Commissioner Alex ole Nkoyo (right) must be removed from Mandera saying he has been unable to contain insecurity in the area.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Mandera Governor Ali Roba has insisted that County Commissioner Alex ole Nkoyo must be removed from the county.
“Our agitation to have the county commissioner moved is informed only by the continuous failure of security in the county, particularly as it relates to terror attacks.
"I have personally had no problems with the county commissioner on any issue other than the continuous terror attacks in Mandera,” Mr Roba said.
In a statement to the Nation, Mr Roba who has joined Senator Billow Kerrow and a number of county assembly members to push for the transfer of Mr Nkoyo said: “The leadership of Mandera have decided enough is enough.”
“Even if we have to call on the public to defend themselves, we will if the failures continue without meaningful intervention that delivers results against terror.
"We refuse these total economic sanctions imposed on us by Al-Shabab terrorists under the watchful eyes of the national security team.”
MANDERA 'DYING' SLOWLY
He said that Mandera was 'dying slowly' adding that it was important for all to see this fact rather than thinking about an individual in an office who needs protection from the of Interior Cabinet secretary even as terror continued thriving in Mandera.
“Look at the facts and tell us whether really this condition should be left to continue on the current trajectory of increased terror threats and attacks,” Mr Roba said.
He said leaders from the county had asked the President to help in many issues to build the county’s capacity to respond to the continuous terror attacks.
“He (President) has personally responded to our requests with adequate inputs in many areas.
“But the terror attacks continued to thrive despite the many inputs from the national security team. Then we have to ask, how much more inputs can we request if the person charged with security is unable to utilize these resources in an organized manner that optimizes the results?" Mr Roba said.
LACK OF PROPER LEADERSHIP
He said although he was not an expert on security matters, as a disciplined manager he saw lack of proper leadership as the cause of the security challenges in the county.
“There is no consistency in the intervention programmes put in place to mitigate the security risks that we are faced with as the population of this county.
“Our concerns have nothing to do with whether the county commissioner is a ‘nice guy’ but rather whether he is able to deliver results in the face of increasing terror threats in this county.
“If you want to be a nice guy, please be a nice guy somewhere else. What we need is a result oriented leadership in the area of security,” Mr Roba said.
He regretted that the lives of Mandera residents were changing because of insecurity.
“Our schools have been closed because of terrorist attacks on teachers, our construction industry has stopped because of attacks on quarry workers, our hospitals have no workers because of terror attacks on medical personnel, potential investors have been discouraged because of continuous terror attacks, professionals’ have avoided Mandera because of terror attacks. It is a complete economic sanctions on the population of this county.
“Under such circumstances we do not need facilitators of terror but rather people determined to stop terror at all costs.
"We have no place for nice natured individuals who are non-performers on issues of security,” Mr Roba said.
TOOK ISSUE WITH NKAISSERY
He took issue with Interior CS Joseph Nkaissery who has defended Mr Nkoyo’s continued stay in the county.
“Calling the performance of Alex Ole Nkoyo "good beyond reproach" is not only inaccurate but high-sounding evil in face of loss of lives of over 90 innocent Kenyan in seven months under the watchful eyes of the same county commissioner,” he said.
“I beg my brother to take time to analyse the events and circumstances before airing his views and risk presenting himself as a clueless leader of a very sensitive and important docket.”
The governor said it was illogical for former Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo and former Interior CS Joseph ole Lenku who sat in Nairobi to quit over insecurity in Mandera yet the National Government official who oversees the situation on the ground was left in his position.
Mr Nkoyo has denied claims that he is lax and that he relays the wrong information to Nairobi.