Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa addresses the press in Mombasa yesterday after meeting parastatal heads. He urged tourists to visit the county, saying security has been restored. Photo/NDEGWA GATHUNGU

Mombasa now changes tact to arrest insecurity

Security agencies in Mombasa have embarked on a process of integrating smart policing into security operations to curb rising insecurity and align itself with best global security practices.
Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa yesterday announced that the government is investing in preventive security strategies and intelligent-based policing to improve the security situation in the county and avoid security lapses witnessed some time last year.
Speaking during an interactive meeting with heads of parastatals on security issues, Marwa said the government would not humiliate citizens through generalisation of crime. He said as part of the resolution agreed on during the meeting, police will now use intelligence information to zero down on individual criminals instead of targeting an entire population.
“We are no longer going to mount general operation on an entire population, if we gather intelligence that an individual is creating trouble in a mosque or church, we will only go for him not the entire faithful,” he said. Marwa said the outcome of the meeting would be instrumental in sustained security development gained in security matters for the past few months.
“It is against these hypotheses that we seek to sustain the security strategies that will ensure the region remains safe for investors,” said Marwa. As part of the strategy to eliminate criminal activities, Marwa appealed to the county government to present the youth with investment opportunities to help them resist the temptation of getting into crime.
Marwa lamented over the continuous existence of business monopolies by tycoons at the expense of the youth. He said the Uwezo Fund would not benefit youth if they fail to have meaningful projects in which to invest the funds instead the cash will be channelled to other illegal activities.
“Give tenders and projects to these youth otherwise these funds will be directed to drug abuse which is one of the leading security challenges we face as a county,” he said. He appealed to the heads of parastatals among others, Kenya Pipeline regional manager and Coast region acting CDF coordinator to coordinate with the media in eliminating security threats within the organisations.
The county boss said there is need to feed the media with information of public interest, a situation he said would encourage collective fight on crime. “Media plays an integral role in the economy and they cannot be wished away, let us not hide information from them,” said Marwa.


He used the opportunity to reassure tourists not to shy from Mombasa as a destination saying all efforts have been put in place to ensure safety. Marwa said the government will intensify screening of visitors at Moi International Airport, hotels and public places to boost security “Insecurity almost ravaged our tourism last year, but that is now a thing of the past. We have put up new measures and strategies to ensure security is maintained,” he said.