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Kenya Police Beef Up Security Ahead of Wednesdayâs Referendum

   Peter Clottey 02 August 2010
   Kenyans   listen  to  speeches  during  the  campaign  to  launch  the
   Constitution Referendum, at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, Kenya, 15 May 2010

Photo: AP

   Kenyans   listen  to  speeches  during  the  campaign  to  launch  the
   Constitution Referendum, at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, Kenya, 15 May 2010

   The spokesman for Kenyaâs Police told VOA security has been stepped up
   to  ensure  that  the  referendum scheduled for Wednesday is devoid of
   violence.

   Eric Kiraithe said the police have taken measures and are continuously
   gathering  intelligence  to combat any possible threat âbefore, during
   and afterâ Wednesdayâs referendum.

   âFollowing  some anxiety in some parts of the country, and, of course,
   due  to  this  referendum  exercise,  we  have  increased our security
   operationâ¦in  several  parts  of the country. We have also prepared a
   constant  operation whose main thrust is to ensure that the referendum
   exercise  goes  on freely, and people exercise their democratic rights
   and there is no breach of the peace,â he said.

   Official  campaigning  ended Monday. The referendum will allow Kenyans
   to  choose  whether  to accept or reject a newly proposed constitution
   after the previous attempt failed in 2005.

   The  proposed  constitution  forms part of the 2008 power-sharing deal
   that  followed  Kenyaâs  disputed 2007 presidential election. The vote
   dispute sparked several weeks of riots and ethnic violence that killed
   an estimated 1,300 Kenyans.

   Analysts  say  there  is  growing  tension after residents of the Rift
   Valley expressed concern that the referendum could turn violent.

   Spokesman  Kiraithe  said these residents are working closely with the
   government  after  the administration deployed about 15,000 additional
   police officers to the Rift Valley area.

   Kiraithe  also said that the police are adequately prepared to prevent
   a repeat of the 2007 post-election violence.

   âA   lot   has   been  done  by  the  police  and  by  the  provincial
   administration.  We  have  been  talking to the community concerns and
   listening  to  them.  We  have  also  been collecting intelligence and
   increasing  the  presence  of security officers. The provincial police
   officer in charge of the Rift Valley has also drawn a contingency plan
   to respond to any kind of violence. We have cause to believe that this
   exercise will go on smoothly,â Kiraithe said.

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