Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has criticized the reception given to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during his homecoming at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Speaking on Friday August 21, during the Jukwaa la Usalama forum in Kirinyaga County, Murkomen expressed disappointment at what was witnessed at the airport.
“I was very saddened that political activists were going to ‘play games’ in our airport. The airport is a protected area. It’s not a place to play the kind of politics that we saw,” he said.
The CS, described the Thursday’s events as ”Useless”.
“We saw people entering the airport with a lot of razzmatazz for pure zero political, economic value, and zero PR. What we saw yesterday was useless, and for it to be done inside an airport is totally unacceptable,” Murkomen said.
At the same time Murkomen faulted the organisers for failing to inform the security agencies in advance to ensure order and compliance.
”The reason of notifying the police is not so they can give you permission, it is just so the police can provide security. Had we cooperated with the police officers I don’t think what appended yesterday could have happened,” he stated.
The CS stressed that while political leaders have the right to be received by their supporters, such events must be coordinated with relevant authorities to avoid breaching security guidelines.
He said that had the organisers followed procedure, the reception could have been conducted in a safe and orderly manner.
“If the team was intended to do good for our country, they would have worked with the police. They would say, ‘We are welcoming our visitor, can you give us a designated area?’ They could have asked, ‘Can our vehicles be parked in a particular way and escorted to the place we want to have a rally?’ Everything would have been fine,” he said.
Murkomen has vowed that investigations are underway to make sure those involved in the chaos that were witnessed will be held accountable.
