Kenyatta: Only Police, Military Should Have Monopoly Of Violence

The Former President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, has said that only the Police and Military should have a monopoly on violence to address insecurity.

Kenyatta said this while delivering an Inaugural Lecture for Course 33 of the National Defence College Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.

He said the police and Military forces must become the only actors with the legitimacy to effectively wield violence to address insecurity.

He added that the military and the police forces must be regarded as ready, willing and able to secure the persons and property of all citizens.

According to him, the monopoly of violence also includes the analytical ability to perceive threats and effective communication to shape perceptions of the state’s deployment of violence.

“Our pastoralist conflicts, for one, as well as the numerous militia formations in parts of the country, indicate that we are still not where we should be in this regard,’’ he said.

The former Kenyan leader said that the government must also have effective administrative control that flows from the national to the grassroots and invest in human capital.

According to him, if young people are not invested in gaining a livelihood, they will be a direct security threat, while their inability to participate in the economy limits the state’s ability to deliver security.

“I believe that investment in our human capital by creating viable social and economic pathways for our youth to actualise themselves is necessary to strengthen our institutions.

“On Monday, the much-touted demographic dividend of our youth matured, and our young people would like to cash in their cheques immediately.

“Unfortunately, across our continent, our youth are now confronted with governments that appear to have been caught flat-footed by this surge in demands from a demographic that forms over 70 per cent of our productive population.”

The Commandant of NDC, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu, said the inaugural lecture was organised to inaugurate the participants into the course and to prepare them for the scholarly activities in line with the mission of this college.

According to him, the mission is to “Develop future leaders sufficiently equipped with the requisite knowledge and analytical skills necessary to harness the instruments of national power in a dynamic defence and security environment”.

Olotu said the college had graduated over 2,000 senior officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the Nigeria Police Force, and other security agencies since its establishment in 1992.

“The current Course 33 has 100 participants, 54 officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces, five officers of the Nigerian Police Force, and 18 personnel from the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

“There are 23 international participants from 19 countries, including Benin Republic, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Egypt, Gabon and The Gambia.

“Others are Ghana, India, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Morocco, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe,’’ he said.