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| Left: Police officers on duty at a polling station in Dandora. Right: Dandora A Chief Jackson Kingori on guard at James Gichuru Primary School. Photo by Felix Hosea. |
While it was all skirmishes during and soon after the 2007 polls, the scene in Dandora during the recent party nominations was a stark contrast of what transpired five years ago. But the peace that prevailed in Dandora during the nominations was a result of flawless execution of security strategies put in place well in advance of party primaries.
Aides of Dandora DO Andrew Kimani tell of almost endless security meetings between the DO and other government security agents in the division. Their mission was to ensure that no security breach occurred during the nominations. The security team that consisted of the DO, Kinyago police boss and the chiefs and their assistants also worked out plans on how they would deal with potential security breaches with a special focus on traditional hotpots.
During the nominations, no police officer or chief was in civilian attire, except the DO. This meant that government presence was felt everywhere in the division. The nominations presented the first major security test for the youthful DO, who has hardly worked in the division for more than two years. That is why, to the happy people of Dandora, including losers and winners in the just concluded hotly contested party nominations, security officers emerged as the unsung heroes in the month of January 2013.