Restoring peace and tranquility at the Coast, which is essential for the flourishing of the tourism sector, is a top priority for the government.
To beef up security, anti-terror and other tactical security teams have been deployed at undisclosed locations.
Additionally, the formation of a specialised unit tasked specifically to tackle issues of missing persons and possible abductions is already having breakthrough, Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss Mohammed Amin said on Saturday.
“Two or three weeks ago, the media aired news about two, three, four missing persons. The matter was investigated by this unit and we were able to account for, if you are a keen follower of our X handle, three.
“And they all happened to be issues of a love triangle and people running away from their parents for one reason or another. We take issues of missing persons very seriously because it involves matters of life and death,” Amin said.
The DCI boss said they have developed strategies to ensure missing persons reports, including abductions, are professionally investigated.
Amin was at the Coast to assess the security situation in the region.
This follows a brief spell of insecurity surge in the region, especially in Mombasa and Kwale counties in March and early April.
Already, the juvenile criminal gangs that were emerging have been neutralised, Amin said.
“We are prepared, as officers in the National Police Service, to make sure that our country is safe,” he said.
Amin said the country has been relatively peaceful with no criminal incidents, which encourages investors.
“On Thursday, in my office, I was with an investor from one of the Asian countries. He had a small problem that we were able to assist him with.
“And he told me very clearly, “We love Kenya. We love your country because of the prevailing security compared to the other African countries”.”
However, screaming headlines in local newspapers gives the wrong message to potential investors and tourists.
“Ironically, the following day, on Friday, I see a very screaming headline in one of our media houses that our country is a gangsters’ paradise. What a paradox and what a contradiction!
“Granted, we have few rag-tag criminals but not to the extent that we label our country as a gangsters’ paradise!” Amin said.
He promised to deal with rogue police officers.
The DCI boss also addressed former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s remarks.
“If the former deputy president has an issue in any matter concerning or constituting a threat to his life and property, he should go and report to the nearest police station and not engage himself in media theatrics.”
by BRIAN OTIENO
