Kakamega County Senator Boni Khalwale has directly confronted President William Ruto over the withdrawal of his security detail, accusing the government of resorting to desperate measures and intimidation tactics ahead of the Malava parliamentary by-election.
Speaking on Wednesday, November 26, Khalwale questioned whether the President was aware of the security withdrawals targeting him and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.
"Mr. President, are you aware that the security of George Natembeya has been withdrawn? Are you aware that the security of Dr. Boney Khalwale has been withdrawn? You have given me six police officers as per my office, where are they? What are you planning to do?" Khalwale asked.
The Senator urged the government to exercise restraint as the country approaches the Malava by-election, emphasizing that electoral contests naturally produce winners and losers.
"I want to ask the government to calm down, elections are always won and lost, there must be a winner, and there would be a loser, so let's win gracefully, but when you lose government, don't resort to these desperate measures," he stated.
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Khalwale raised additional security concerns, alleging that unknown youth had been brought into Kakamega County from Nairobi.
"Your Excellency, you are our president. I ask you, are you aware that a former minister in this county of Kakamega, a former minister, has been afforded youth from Nairobi? I do not know what they want to come and do in Kakamega. Mr. President, are you aware?" he questioned.
The Senator called on the President, as the custodian of national security, to intervene and ensure peaceful elections.
"Mr. President, as the custodian of the security of our community, tone down, ask your minister to be in charge, to let the voting to go on freely. We are not violent people. Tomorrow, if there are any instances of violence, it will be because we are refusing to be intimidated," Khalwale warned.
The security withdrawals come as Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen defended similar actions against Governor Natembeya, linking such decisions to concerns over planned violence and misuse of firearms by police officers allegedly working with criminal elements.
"There have been cases where police officers attached to VIPs have misused their firearms. So, any security measure taken by the National Police Service is to avoid a crisis. If a police officer attached to a VIP is working with goons, the first thing is to take them away before we deal with the said goons," Murkomen explained earlier on Wednesday.
"So, if there are people who have been withdrawn, it must be in relation to planned violence and the fact that some of these officers have been found to be working with goons," he said.
Governor Natembeya has also contested the withdrawal of his security, stating in a social media post that the action was taken without lawful justification.
"Today, my security detail was withdrawn without any notice or lawful justification," Natembeya wrote, adding that the move violates the National Police Service Act and endangers his safety.
