Via People Daily
The Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has ordered the immediate transfer of all National Police Service officers who have served in Nairobi for over three years.
He also ordered the dissolution of all officers’ teams on SPIV duties, which have now been deployed to normal duties. Investigations revealed some officers deployed as undercover officers, commonly referred to as ‘SPIV’, were involved in criminal activities.
The new orders were made after worrying numbers of security officers involved in crime sent jitters in government, forcing Mutyambai to convene a crisis meeting with all Nairobi-based commanders.
The Tuesday six-hour meeting at Jogoo House was attended by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Kenya Police Edward Mbugua among other senior officers.
The DIG Administration Police Noor Gabow who heads the service that most of the arrested officers come from, however, did not attend the meeting.
“So many officers have overstayed in their current stations. The challenge is that the law only provides for minimum, and not the maximum number of years an officer can stay in a station,” a senior police officer attached to Vigilance House told People Daily.
Some of the resolutions of the meeting were that those with criminal and disciplinary records be put under watch and close monitoring while the disciplinary procedures commonly known as Orderly Room Proceedings will be simplified and expedited.
From now, all officers will have to wear uniform even when attending court and civilian clothes, as per the regulations, remain a preserve of DCI officers. The officers are also expected to immediately return firearms to the armoury upon completion of a duty shift.
Noting that the surge could be as a result of lack of poor supervision, all senior officers based at Administration Police Services (APS) and the Kenya Police Service (KPS) headquarters were directed to visit divisions and stations frequently.
Lack of supervision
There is also planned zoning of Nairobi under an officer of the rank of Commissioner of Police (CP) to complement the efforts of the Regional Commander.
To tame rampant corruption in the traffic department, traffic flow in Nairobi is to be enhanced to reduce incidents of bribes.
Recognising the part played by the members of the public, the meeting resolved that they should be encouraged to report all cases of malpractice and indiscipline by officers.
AP officers will undergo induction and refresher course on the investigation at Kenya Police College, Kiganjo, jointly with others from KPS. Mutyambai is said to have expressed concern the surge could be as a result of lack of supervision, but some of the sub-county commanders present attributed it to poor pay in the service.
During the heated meeting, DIG Mbugua dismissed the commander’s assertions and openly rebuked the Central OCPD linking the surge to poor pay. The issue of transfers was also discussed, with a focus on officers who had served in the same station for over three years.
Mutyambai refused to comment on the matter and instead referred us to the National Police Spokesman Charles Owino, who could not be reached.
There has been a decrease in terror attacks since Mutyambai took office six months ago but eyebrows have been raised over the increased insecurity cases and involvement of police in corrupt and criminal activities.
The House Security committee approved Mutyambai’s nomination on April 3 on the basis of his “vast experience in policing, security, intelligence and investigation with 27 years of investigative and law enforcement experience”.
But the rising cases of police officers involved in crime is threatening to blot his illustrious career.
Barely a day after the Tuesday meeting, three police officers and two prison warders were arrested in Machakos in connection to ATM theft when they were found in possession of Sh268,600 they could not account for.
A guard at the Kenya Commercial Bank raised the alarm. Officers on patrol responded and arrested Corporal Richard Wambua attached to Kahuro Police Station in Murang’a, AP Constable Boniface Wambua of Rapid Deployment Unit, Mau, AP Constable Cyprian Odundo of DCI Machakos, Prison Warders Julius Mwalili of Prisons headquarters, and Prison Warder Musyoki Mutua of Nairobi Region Prison.
Ammunition recovered
In a separate incident, another officer Constable Simon Mwaniki of Kayole Police Station was arrested and linked to last week’s Sh6 million Eastleigh robbery, bringing to about 55 the number of officers linked to crime in one month.
Police headquarters yesterday said detectives investigating the Eastleigh robbery recovered 27 rounds of assorted ammunition, three spent cartridges, two bulletproof vests and two helmets.
“The three spent cartridges and other ammunition is a clear indication the officer was involved in other criminal activities,” said an officer at Jogoo House.
Five of the rounds of ammunition were for AK47 rifles, 14 for revolvers and five others for pistols. Three spent cartridges, of calibre .38mm, were also found in the house and the officer could not explain when and where the rounds were fired.
The officers had two different houses within a radius of about 3km further raising questions on his possible involvement in the crime. The detectives searched both houses at Kayole Junction and Njiru on Kangundo Road.
Also found in his house were two bulletproof jackets, a green helmet, fake $8,800, fake Sh29,000, five DCI personal file covers, a station inventory book, a DCI Occurrence Book (OB), an ID card number 31259437 belonging to Abdirahaman Mohammed Ali, two forged driving licences plus 21 DL covers, 15 speed governors and recorded compliance certificates.
Mwaniki was part of the gang that went to Barwqo Lodge in Eastleigh and robbed Mohammed Hassan Mohammed and Abdulahi Hussein Yusuf of $60,000.
Four suspects, including three police officers and a foreigner, have been charged in court. The victims raised alarm as the suspects left and officers on patrol responded and managed to arrest four of them.
Two other suspects, Petronila Njeri Ngaara and Constable Caroline Waithera Wairimu, are expected to be charged in court today.
The court on Tuesday granted the investigating officer Constable Gilbert Lang’at a custodial order for three days to enable him complete investigations.
Early this week, three Indian High Commission employees were attacked on Ring Road, Parklands, by three armed men who robbed them of $1500, Sh14,000, diplomatic ID cards, and phones among other items. The diplomats were also beaten, sustaining injuries.
