- Ranka took over from Bundi Muriithi who was recalled to police headquarters.
- Ranka is a Recce trained police officer who has spent most of his life in VIP protection and his posting to the region was seen as a way of enabling him to grow.
A former lead bodyguard to President Uhuru Kenyatta was Tuesday named the new North Eastern Regional Police Commander (RPC) in changes.
Police headquarters said the former bodyguard Papita Ranka will from August 13 take over as the RPC for the region to among others lead in the war against terrorism and smuggling.
Ranka took over from Bundi Muriithi who was recalled to police headquarters.
Ranka is a Recce trained police officer who has spent most of his life in VIP protection and his posting to the region was seen as a way of enabling him to grow.
The changes were announced by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Kenya Police Eliud Lagat.
Lagat also moved all police commanders from Garissa and Mandera Counties.
Both Mandera County police commander Samuel Mutunga and his Garissa counterpart John Sichei were moved and new commanders were posted there.
In the changes, Kwale police boss Stephen Ngetich was moved to police headquarters and replaced by Ali Nuno.
At the DCI, the head of Land Fraud Unit Wilhem Kimutai was replaced by Juma Mashua from the Internal Affairs Unit.
Police authorities said the changes were aimed at bolstering operations, especially in parts of North Eastern, which are facing a new wave of attacks from al Shabaab militants.
On Saturday, August 9, gunmen shot and killed the driver of a Deputy County Commissioner in Mandera East before escaping with his official car.
The car is yet to be recovered.
There have been a series of incidents in the area amid operations to address the trend.
On July 24, five people were injured in an explosion at an eatery in Mandera town.
On July 11, an ambush by suspected al-Shabaab militants resulted in the deaths of five Special Operations Group (SOG) members and left six others injured near the Banisa/Derkale border in Mandera West.
Earlier, on April 5, six people were killed and five injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near the police station in Elwak town, Mandera County.
Another similar incident occurred on March 25, where four people were killed in an explosion at a hotel near a police station in Mandera town.
On Monday, August 5, a multi-agency team conducted several raids targeting al-Shabaab positions in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa Counties.
At the borders of Mandera and Wajir counties, an intelligence-led operation was conducted on suspected al-Shabaab hideouts spread across the Iresqinto, Kutayu and Boji areas.
Several items dug and hidden into the ground were retrieved, among them AK47 and PKM ammunition, medical equipment, drugs, and several jerricans filled with water.
In Garissa County, a joint security team came into contact with about five suspected al-Shabaab militants in Adan Santur.
The team was responding to distress calls from locals whose camels were being forcefully confiscated by the terrorists.
Two camels were recovered and returned to their owners, who expressed immense gratitude to the security forces for their quick response.
The militants, some of them injured, made a narrow escape and crossed the border into Somalia on a bullet-riddled white Toyota Probox vehicle.
The area is near the Kenya-Somalia border, which is usually breached by terror groups who come and attack the region and escape back.
More personnel have been deployed in the area in effort to tame the attacks.
Locals have always been urged to work with security agencies to tame the trend.
This is because such attacks cannot happen without the knowledge of the locals.
This comes amid heightened security following fears the terror group could be planning an attack after a long lull.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by locals.
Somalia has not had a stable government after the fall of Siad Barre in 1991.
The terrorists have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies.
Kenyan troops are in Somalia to pursue and suppress the activities of the terror group. But the terrorists keep crossing to Kenya for attacks.