Matiang'i's surprise move for Kisumu ahead of polls
It is, however, not clear whether there will be elections on Thursday.
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Acting Interior CS Dr Fred Matiang’i said the new deployment is a way to boost security efforts, coming in the backdrop of tough warning to the Opposition against disrupting the voting exercise.
“Anybody who will be found on the wrong side, disturbing those people who want to exercise their democratic right will be dealt with in accordance with the law. We need to be fair in this case,” Dr Matiangi had said earlier.
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According to reports, the 1,286 officers who will be manning the process in Nairobi have been mobilised from Kiambu, Murang'a, Machakos, Kirinyaga, Embu, Kajiado, Tharaka Nithi and Meru counties.
Another group 1,205 officers drawn from Narok, Nakuru, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Kericho, Nandi, Nyandarua, Bomet, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot counties will be posted to Nyanza region ahead of Thursday polls.
Despite the deployment, it remains unclear whether the elections will be held as scheduled by IEBC owing to the pending case at the Supreme Court that three Kenyans demanded a postponement of fresh elections.
The officers have been posted to counties seen to be opposed to the repeat polls amid fears of violence.
Additional 460 officers have been posted to Western region to back up their colleagues while Mombasa will get 82 more personnel.
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Speaking to the press after the Tuesday deployment, Deputy Head of police operations, Henry Barmao, ordered the officers to report to their new stations by Tuesday, amid fears of an accommodation crisis in the areas where the officers have been redeployed. Mr Barmao said the extra personnel have orders to enhance security in tomorrow's poll.
The Ministry of Interior is also set to use personnel from the Kenya Wildlife Service, National Youth Service, Prisons and Kenya Forest Service to beef up operations. The personnel have already been gazetted.
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