Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed that the government will soon start freezing bank accounts of suspected drug dealers immediately after they are apprehended.
Speaking on Wednesday, July 30, Murkomen claims that the "lucrative" nature of the drug-dealing businesses has made it easy for these individuals to evade the full force of the law. Once captured, the individuals end up getting out of custody quickly despite being hit with heavy fines, according to Murkomen.
Murkomen further said that the government will also ensure that it seizes their assets, including vehicles and property, to ensure that their financial stability is fully crippled. Furthermore, the CS stressed the need to amend the penal code to ensure that the judiciary dispenses stiffer and swifter action against drug cartels.
"I was told that in some counties, some drug cartels are arrested, then fined up to Ksh1 million, which they pay immediately and then released, and then come back, so it means that this must be a very lucrative business," Murkomen said.
"So the only solution to this is to ensure that we seize their assets and make sure that we close their accounts, and I'm sure this will make people feel that this is serious," the CS added.
However, Murkomen said that the government will also fire and take legal action against any security head, especially chiefs and OCSs, who collude with the drug cartels to facilitate drug and substance abuse in their respective areas.
On the flip side, the CS said that the government will also reward and support any security head who demonstrates solid efforts in weeding out drug cartels in their respective area, by either promotion or other awards.
"Sadly, we also have some chiefs, police officers, and government officials who are collaborating with drug cartels to facilitate drug dealing. And I want to assure you that we are going to sack any police officer, chief, or OCS whose jurisdiction is a drug haven, and we have already started, and they will go to court," Murkomen said.
"They will not be transferred; they will be removed from service. Because I'm sure that these security heads know exactly where and who facilitates drug peddling," he added.
Additionally, security agencies will also reinforce the crackdown on all towns, especially those with universities and colleges, which have seen a rise in drug and substance abuse, according to the CS.
The move aims at reinforcing the security of the institutions and the towns, as well as securing the future and well-being of students in tertiary institutions.
"We have also established, thanks to Jukwaa la Usalama, that drug abuse is more prevalent around universities and colleges, so areas that have such institutions will now be our areas of focus; those will be our targets, especially all the towns," the CS said.
