Many Kenyans, especially traders in major cities, dislike county inspectorate officers, infamously called ‘Kanjo’.
The dreaded county askaris are known for their ruthlessness in dealing with hawkers in the CBDs of Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu and other major towns.
They are known for demanding bribes, carting away belongings of traders who are found on the wrong side of the law and demolishing properties erected ‘illegally’.
However, they are now being trained on more sophisticated operations. The Kenya Defence Forces is involving them in the war on terror and violent extremism.
The KDF believes county askaris are instrumental in the day-to-day security operations of any country because the ‘Kanjos’ have basic training on security.
The army is working in conjunction with 12 county governments. These include Mombasa county.
In 2013, Governor Hassan Joho’s administration was accused of recruiting ‘mateja’ (drug addicts) into the Inspectorate department. However, it has since employed PHD students, Master’s graduates and several ex-GSU officers.
The unit, which boasts of 500 well-trained officers, is now trusted for its professionalism, says Ilhan Abbas, the acting Devolution chief officer.
At least five counties, including Taita Taveta, have sent their inspectorate officers to Mombasa county to be equipped with modern skills.
“Many people do not know that within the Mombasa County Inspectorate department, we have all cadres of people,” Abbas says.
“We have PHD students, Master’s and Bachelor’s graduates and even ex-GSU officers. You cannot imagine seeing a graduate in a county askari’s uniform, right?”
She says these graduates and former police officers are the ones who have been changing the image of the Inspectorate department.
“They (graduates of ex-police officers) have been employed in senior ranks and managerial positions to offer leadership,” Abbas says.
She says they have now partnered with the Kenya Defence Forces to train their members on how to counter terrorism and extremism.
Image: HANDOUT
Instead of recruiting new people, the county askaris came in handy because they have discipline and basic security training. They live within the estates and locality and, therefore, can pick any suspicious incidents
Col Rashid Harun
TERROR ATTACKS
Between 2013-15, the coastal town of Mombasa was prone to terror attacks.
Old Town, once a booming tourists’ attraction centre, had become a no-go zone for tourists and non-locals. A number of international tourists were mugged and killed.
Elsewhere, the famous Masjid Musa in Majengo became a recruitment and training centre for youth into radicalisation beliefs, according to government intelligence reports.
Several sheikhs who were preaching in that mosque, including the late Aboud Rogo, were later killed by unknown gunmen. Majengo youth blamed the police for their killings.
Every Friday, Majengo would become a war zone as police engaged the youth in running battles.
The mosque had to be shut down over terror-related allegations. However, it was opened later on after a security meeting was called between senior mosque officials, the county government and security heads in the region.
Terrorism had become a major headache in Kenya. Security apparatus were grappling with how to deal with it.
Col Rashid Harun, KDF Head of National Counter-Terrorism Centre, says during that time, the government allowed the terrorism propagandists a lot of time to spread their falsehoods.
“If we had acted swiftly then, we could have stopped their propaganda,” he says. BY DAILY NATION