Nairobi News

Exactly a year after police officers from the elite General Service Unit were withdrawn from the residences of the then Deputy President William Ruto and replaced by Administration Police officers, they are now back.

The elite GSU squad were on Tuesday deployed back at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi, after he was declared President-elect by the electoral agency.

Outside his Karen residence, there were also the Presidential Escort Unit officers who were assigned to guard him, his homes and family members as outlined in the National Police Service Act, 2011.

According to the Act, 200 officers will be attached to the president-elect while another 45 will be linked up with the deputy president-elect, Rigathi Gachagua.

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Kenya’s constitution dictated that the Assumption of Office Committee is mandated to accord the two adequate security.

“Upon the declaration of the final results of a presidential election by the Commission under Article 138 of the Constitution and section 39 of the Elections Act (No. 24 of 2011), the Committee shall ensure that the President-elect and Deputy President-elect are accorded adequate security,” reads the Assumption of the Office of President Act.

The Committee should ensure that the President-elect under section 9 receives security briefings from the respective national security organs and any other required information from public officers.

Ruto on Tuesday started receiving briefings from the respective national security organs after being declared the winner of the General Election.

The organs include the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Kenya Defence Forces and the National Police Service (NPS).

The Assumption of Office of the President Act 2012 mandates public officers to provide required information to President-elect.

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This is a stark contrast to last August, when GSU officers guarding his official residence in Karen were withdrawn and replaced by Administration Police officers.

According to the Communications Director at the Office of the Deputy President, Emmanuel Tallam, a senior police inspector in charge of security at the DP’s Karen residence was called and directed to inform the security personnel that they’d be leaving the facility by 2 pm on Thursday, August 26, 2021.

The AP officers arrived at the DP’s Karen residence in two vans and had a meeting with their GSU counterparts before heading to Ruto’s Hardy home for a similar exercise.

At the time, the fate of his security was a topic of speculation after his communications team claimed there were plans to redeploy security personnel stationed at his Karen and Sugoi residences.

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