Following the ongoing debate regarding the protection of Very Important Persons (VIPS) in the country, Kenyans.co.ke has delved into the structure that guides allocation of security detail attached to various persons.
According to the structure that was meant to take effect after the Jubilee government took leadership in 2013, Speakers (National Assembly and Senate), Cabinet Secretaries, the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court should have two bodyguards.
Each of them should have four armed officers to guard their houses; two during the day while the other two protecting their homes in the night.
According to the structure, one armed police officer is supposed to be attached to governors, deputy governors, senators, principal secretaries, court of appeal judges, county commissioners and their deputies with four others stationed at their homes.
The guidelines also dictate that one police officer should be assigned to Members of Parliament, County Assembly speakers, heads of independent offices and chairmen of constitutional offices.
However, the latter group should not enjoy the protection of officers at their homes, as the privilege is not provided in the guidelines.
Nonetheless, the structure does not seem to have taken effect as some leaders are said to have more than 10 police officers in their security detail, a number that is set to be slashed.
Withdrawal of security detail assigned to Mombasa and Kilifi governors has elicited a sharp debate with governors crying foul over an announcement that their guards would be reduced to five.
Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has indicated that the government intends to withdraw 6000 police officers from VIPs, in order to increase the number of officers serving the public.
