By I Ngare
In mature Democracies like the United States, Security Agencies are immune to political control and interference. All Presidential candidates are protected by the Secret Service. And President Obama (even though he hated and still hates Trump) could not determine the size of Trump’s security detail while on the campaign trail.
The United States Marshalls protect all federal judges. It is not a privilege that the Secretary for Interior can withdraw anytime he/she feels like. Trump -upon his inauguration as President on the 20th- cannot thus withdraw the security detail attached to Judge Gonzalo Curiel whom he called a Mexican pig while campaigning.
The United States Capitol Police protects all members of Congress regardless of whether they call First Lady Michelle an ‘ape in heels’ or otherwise. It is not a privilege from the government. The Diplomatic Security Services (DSS) protects all senior American Diplomats and their families. The DSS also protects the Dalai Lama (who by all indications has no liking for Trump).
The Executive does not sit down to negotiate how many agents are attached to so and so’s security detail. These are decisions made internally within the agency decision-structures and a VIP’s security detail can be expanded or reduced at any time depending exclusively on security threat assessments.
It pained me in 2013 (just after UhuRuto took over) that Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka went to State House to negotiate on the size of their security details. These are decisions that ought to be made by an impartial Inspector General of Police who recognises that the security detail attached to leaders is not a privilege. He can then alter the number of officers attached to any of them after careful threat evaluations.
A Governor (by virtue of being an elected leader) is entitled to security by right. Whether or not they insult or disparage the Head of State is a non-issue. The Police Service should be immune to political interference. Nkaisseri (the Moi-era functionary) has no jurisdiction in withdrawing the security detail attached to a Governor as it is not a privilege he dishes out and takes back whenever he so pleases.
But then we have a government run by a bunch of people who are clueless about the extent of their powers and what ought and ought not to be done.
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