HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 91148,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/91148/?format=api",
"text_counter": 118,
"type": "other",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, I am happy to move the Vote for the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security, Vote 01, which covers the following areas: Provincial Administration, Kenya Police including the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the General Service Unit (GSU), Administration Police (AP), Government Press and the National Campaign Against Drugs Abuse Authority. The Ministry has the following core functions: Organization and co-ordination of the Government business at the grassroots level, maintenance of public safety, law and order, printing and distribution of Government documents, campaign against drugs and substance abuse, maintenance of national and international boundaries, co-ordination of state functions, disaster emergency response and maintenance of security roads and security assets. Mr. Speaker, Sir, before I present the financial details of the Ministryâs budget for the Financial Year, 2010/2011, I would like to highlight some of the Ministryâs achievements as well as a policy priority and programme that will be implemented during the financial year. The country is currently facing serious security challenges caused by the continuous instability in Somalia in which we share long and porous borders on land and sea. Of particular concern is the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, over- flow of refugees from the designated camps, cases of illegal immigrants and trafficking of contrabands, all of which provide camouflage for the criminals ferrying narcotic drugs and human traffickers. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the availability of the illegal firearms has been fueling both internal and cross border conflicts. To address this problem, the Government last year initiated a disarmament programme under Dumiza Amani II, with the objective of mopping out illicit small arms and other weapons in the North Rift, Upper Eastern and the North Eastern Province. The operation involved the voluntary surrender of illegal weapons, security operations to mop those not surrendered, establishing of more security posts, posting of additional regular security personnel, vetting and training of additional Kenya Police Reservists (KPRs) to enhance security and safety to the affected communities. The operation also encompass peace building and reconciliation efforts which are spearheaded by political leaders, Provincial Administration officials, professionals and members of the District Peace Committees. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the exercise has been highly successful and to date, 3,604 firearms, 21,937 rounds of ammunitions have been recovered in the targeted areas. This has led to marked reduction in incidences of cattle rustling and banditry. I wish to thank the communities and leaders for their co-operation. In addition, let me commend our security personnel for the professional manner in which the whole disarmament exercise has been conducted. While we have deployed adequate security personnel to patrol our borders, security agents require to be equipped with modern equipment for surveillance, detection and deterrent of illegitimate traffic along the borders. In addition, there are agencies which require specialized vehicles that offer personnel protection and tactical flexibility. Mr. Speaker, Sir, security continues to be our main concern as a nation because without it, there would be no investment which is a necessary prerequisite to accelerating economic growth, creation of jobs and facilitation of poverty reduction. While we have made good progress in improving security, we are aware that more still needs to be accomplished in order to make Kenya a more attractive investment destination for both local and foreign investors. It is for this reason that the Government has undertaken comprehensive reforms in our police services, whose objective is to enhance the performance. In this regard, the Government appointed the National Task Force on the Policing Reforms in May 2009. The task force was mandated to make a comprehensive analysis of the institutional policy and legal framework within which the police operate and to recommend reforms which would enhance the transformation of the police forces into modern police services that are professional, accountable, service focused and friendly to the public. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the task force submitted its report to the Government in November 2009. The report contains a number of recommendations, all of which are categorized under the following hallmarks: Police accountability, professionalism, operation and administration reforms and institutional policy and legislative reforms. The implementation of the proposed reforms has been costed to be Kshs8.84 billion and to be spread over a period of four years. To spearhead implementation of these reforms, the Government appointed the Police Reforms Implementation Committee. The Committee has since developed programmes to translate the recommendation of the Task Force into the specific project components. Through the co-ordination of the Police Reform Implementation Committee, the drafting of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority Bill has been finalized and will soon be tabled in this House for debate. Once established, the Oversight Authority will monitor the professionalism, effectiveness and efficiency of the police, promote the fundamental rights and freedoms contemplated in the Constitution in respect of the policing and to hold police accountable to Parliament and to the public. In addition, the Committee has finalized the drafting of the Police Reforms Bill which seeks to embrace the proposed police reforms and amend both the Police and Administration Police Acts, among others. Other bills whose drafting has been finalized and which will soon be tabled in this House include the National Croners Service Bill, the Police Service Commission Bill and the Private Security Providers Bill. Once these Bills are enacted into law, they will provide a legislative framework that supports policing. Mr. Speaker, the ongoing reforms in the police are paying a lot of attention to professionalism and ethical conduct of the police officers. In this connection, a comprehensive review of police training curriculum has been undertaken by the two police services with the support of experts from both Britain and Sweden. The next intake of recruits to the police training colleges will be instructed on the new curriculum. During this financial year, the programme of reforms requires Kshs22.3 billion shillings. However, only Kshs5.5 billion has been availed, leaving a resource gap of Kshs16.8 billion. Discussions with the Treasury are ongoing to try and see how the balances can be financed. I will be calling on the support of this August House when the matters come up for debate. Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members are aware that since 2003, the Government has embraced community policing as a core crime prevention strategy. The strategy seeks to encourage partnership between security agencies and communities with crime prevention management. The newly constituted Police Reform Implementation Committee has embarked on the process finalizing policies on the community policing and has visited several police stations around the country which are implementing the initiative to pick out the best practices and harmonize the various approaches employed by different communities. The Government will soon release policy guidelines to facilitate the roll out of the community policing to the grassroots. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the Ministry is also faced with the challenges of lack of adequate offices and houses, inadequate transport facilities, lack of modern security equipment, understaffing and underfunding in training, illicit brews and narcotic drugs. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the provision of adequate office and residential accommodation to our officers continues to be a major challenge to the Ministry. As hon. Members are aware, over the last three years, the Government has substantially increased the number of districts following requests by leaders and wananchi. The development has occasioned managerial, leadership and structural changes that have constrained co-ordinating, mobilization and operational capacities of the Ministry, especially now that we have devolved funds and development activities at the constituencies and grassroots level. The provision of basic infrastructure has been a major challenge to the Ministry and will require concerted efforts by all stakeholders. During the financial year 2009/2010, the Ministry embarked on the construction of 63 new district headquarters countrywide at a cost of Kshs340 million. This year, the provision of Kshs333,730,000 will be utilized in completion of these ongoing projects as well as starting new ones in the newly created districts. In addition, construction of 33 district headquarters commenced under the Economic Stimulus Programme at an estimated cost of Kshs30 million per district. This year, a provision of Kshs2.16 billion has been made available to the Ministry of Public Works to complete the 36 ongoing district headquarters and also the construction of the 37 others which did not start during the last financial year. This should significantly ease the shortfall of offices that is being experienced in the new districts. Further, a provision of Kshs400 million has been made available for the construction of new border posts at Nadapal and Liboi while Kshs211 million has been allocated for the rehabilitation of security roads and security airfields in the countryside. The provision of decent housing for the police continues to be a major challenge for the Government. Currently, about 48,000 units are required for both regular and administration police. Last year, the Government allocated Kshs2 towards the construction and the renovation on the police houses. This year, a further Kshs1.8 billion has been allocated towards the completion of the ongoing projects. A task force has been set up to review the status of housing within the police and identified their specific housing needs in all the provinces. The task force will also identify the availability of land for the construction of police houses; prepare a comprehensive police housing proposal and advice on implementation modalities and options, including public/private partnership arrangement. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the provision of adequate and simple transport facilities is a key component in the delivery of security services by the Ministry. During the financial year 2009/2010 the Ministry was allocated Kshs600 million which was used to purchase 233 assorted motor vehicles for both security agencies and the Administration Police (AP). This financial year, no allocation has been provided for the purchase of vehicles, even though the lack of adequate motor vehicles continues to pose a serious challenge to the Ministryâs operations as we have a shortfall of 6,908 vehicles against an establishment of 9,499. In this respect, discussions with the Treasury are underway to explore the various options, including the credit financing for procuring an additional 1,000 vehicles per year in the next four years for our security agencies beginning this financial year. Mr. Speaker, Sir, apart from the lack of allocations for the purchase of motor vehicles, the funds earmarked for the running cost of motor vehicles is grossly inadequate. For example, under Head 006 - District Administration Services, the allocation for fuel is Kshs243 million, which is to cater for the 270 districts. This translates to Kshs2,486 per district per day. At the prevailing rate of Kshs94 per litre of petrol, this amount provides only 26 litres per day per district for use by the District Commissioner (DC) and his district officers. Similarly, the allocation of Kshs230 million for fuel under Head 292 â Divisional Police Services, translates to 6.5 litres per day, per vehicle for the 1,130 vehicles attached to the police division stations across the countryside. The Ministry has been allocated Kshs290 million to purchase two helicopters to be used by the Police Air Wing and the AP. Out of this allocation, Kshs100 million is meant for the purchase of a helicopter for the AP. However, this amount will not be adequate for the outright purchase and will only serve as a deposit as we negotiate for additional funds from the Treasury. Undoubtedly, we require more helicopters to be able to address the emerging challenges of insecurity. Training is an integral part for the effective delivery of services. However, over the years, this item has been grossly under-funded, thus affecting the provisions of the various training programmes. As a result, a large number of administrative officers have not been able to attend mandatory schemes of service courses, leading to stagnation and challenges in the succession management. This continues in the current financial year as only Kshs41.8 million has been provided to the department against a request of Kshs307 million. Mr. Speaker, Sir, under-staffing in the various departments of the Ministry is adversely affecting the service delivery. As hon. Members are aware, a serious shortage of the administrative officers currently exists in the field. To date, over 589 divisional offices have no District Officers (Dos) while 247 locations and 1,371 sub-locations have no chiefs and assistant chiefs, respectively. Similarly, the police service has over the last two years not recruited new officers as a result of the Ramsey Task Recommendation that a new curriculum be adopted before any further requirements. This is affecting delivery of security services as even those leaving service through natural attrition and other causes have not been replaced. Mr. Speaker, Sir, in his Budget Speech, the hon. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance indicated that he had allocated Kshs2 billion towards implementation of a high import targeted security intervention programme covering investment, operation, maintenance, communication, crime profiling and intelligence analysis and enhancing security. It is expected that this fund will be utilized to fund the following projects: Forensic laboratories, installation of the CCTV cameras in Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru, establishment of a national security data base and control centres. Mr. Speaker, Sir, the continued consumption of illegal brews and drugs has not only threatened the social fabric of our society but in some incidents, has lead to blindness and fatalities. In respect to this, the Ministry, through the provincial administration and other security agencies, has mounted a sustained campaign against the vice in which thousands of these illicit brews and narcotic drugs have been destroyed and culprits arraigned in court. However, for us as a country to win this battle, concerted effort from all stakeholders is required in this regard. I wish to appeal to hon. Members to fully support the Ministryâs effort in the fight against this menace. Due to the inadequate funding over the years, the Government Press has lagged behind in the acquisition of modern printing technology and has continued to mostly use aging machines and equipment, resulting in inefficiency in the print production system and heavy maintenance cost. In order to turn around the press into an efficient and self- sustaining semi-autonomous Government agency, the Government has, since 2002, been undertaking a modernization programme at the Press through which a number of modern printing machines have been acquired. It is envisaged that at the end of this modernization programme, the Press will become a pace setter in digital security printing in the country and the region. There is, therefore, need to enhance funding to Government Press to enable it invest in new technology so as to reduce operation costs and improve quality. Mr. Speaker, Sir, to carry out these programmes and projects, my Ministry has been allocated a net sum of Kshs45,631,653,390 against a request of Kshs57,380,262,605 resulting in a funding gap of over Kshs11 billion. The net allocation is distributed as follows: The Recurrent Expenditure is Kshs41,702,173,390 and Development Expenditure is Kshs3, 929,474,000. The net Recurrent Expenditure is accounted by personal emolument, operation and maintenance. In conclusion, I wish to assure hon. Members that funds provided will be fully utilized for the purpose for which they have been voted. In addition, let me assure hon. Members that their contributions and suggestions during the debate on this very important Vote, will be taken into consideration at the time of implementing various programmes and projects. I wish to take this opportunity to commend all our security agencies for their extensive work of maintaining law and order during and after the just concluded referendum. With those remarks, I beg to move. I would like to request the hon. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government, Mr. Mudavadi to second."
}