Nairobi — Government administrators (NGAOs) operating from outside their workstations risk losing their jobs for dereliction of duty and jeopardizing national security.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo directed all officers working remotely to return and take a firm grip on their designated posts as the government intensifies its counterterrorism offensive.
The PS noted that the officers must be at the forefront of the war against terrorists and other operatives with hostile intentions, after which he fired a stern warning that those who will defy the directive will be sent packing with immediate effect.
"If you are working as National Government Administrative Officer, make sure you are at your workstation. And if you can't be at your workstation, then it's time to pack up and go," he said, a message directed to County Commissioners, their deputies and assistants as well as Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs.
He was speaking in Garissa, where he had accompanied Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on a security meeting and a public baraza in Masalani Town with local leaders, elders and NGAO drawn from Ijara, Hulugho, Bodhai and Bura East sub counties.
PS Omollo put the officers on notice that disciplinary action will be taken against those who will drop their guard, whether for omission or commission.
Alongside other frontier counties in the North Eastern region, Garissa has had a series of persistent threats posed by the Al-Shabaab militants, who continue to maraud around the Kenya-Somalia border.
As the chairs of the security and intelligence committees in their jurisdictions, NGAOs are progressively designing and deploying community-based approaches to the existing and emerging challenges.
Inside this strategy, the government seeks to intensify the level of surveillance and alertness through information-sharing from civilians, a form of collaboration Dr. Omollo urged the residents to make a non-negotiable routine.
"As for the residents, we cannot win this war without your support. If you have any information that can help us deal with these terrorists, don't hesitate to share those tip-offs with our teams on the ground. We will act on it promptly," he said.
The delegation was received by the Regional Commissioner North Eastern Mr John Otieno flanked by members of the County Security and Intelligence Committee.
