The public spat between Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet and National Police Service Commission Chairman Johnstone Kavuludi was a culmination of a festering rivalry over the management of police affairs.
On Saturday, Boinnet rejected a list of 53 senior police officers whose promotions were announced by the Kavuludi lead commission and claimed that the list had names of officers whose promotions were never discussed.
Today, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery will address the public on the impasse which has threatened to paralyze operations of the highest ranking police management commission.
The Star has learnt that there has been a frosty relationship and fall out between the civilian commissioners of NPS and the police commander especially over promotions of top police commanders.
The commissioners also sharply differed on the fate of two senior police commanders who have since been retired after attaining 60-years.
Last Wednesday,
Kavuludi in a letter to police headquarters Vigilance house announced that Elias Peter Oduori had been elevated to the rank of Assistant Inspector General.
The following day , the Star newspaper revealed in the corridors of power section how the NPSC had promoted the office almost 10 months after leaving office and proceeded on retirement.
Last Friday NPSC in letter signed by Kavuludi sent a second address announcing that since Oduori had been retired, the commission was substituting his name with that of Noah Mwivanda.
Police correspondences, show that Oduori who lastly held the office of officer commanding the Marine police retired on July 1, 2016.
He has however not been in office since May 18th when he handed over to his deputy John Katumo and proceeded on his leave ahead of his retirement.
Top cops at Vigilance and Jogoo house did not take it kindly since the name of Mwivanda was not among the officers discussed for promotion and was also not in the list of officers that Boinnet had forwarded to the commission for consideration.
The top cops who spoke on condition of anonymity claimed that the NPSC had doctored the lists of officers forwarded for promotion and introduced names that did not originate either from Boinnet or DIG Joel Kitili.
There was tension and heated debate at the Commission meeting at the Skypark offices last Thursday with the uniformed commissioners accusing Kavuludi and his commission of leaking names of officers to be promoted before a decision had been reached.
Previously, Kavuludi and Boinnet clashed over the appointment of two senior police officers on contract.
Boinnet wanted Police head of reforms John Patrick Ochieng and Chief of Staff at his office Okello Thwere retained on contract, after hitting 60 –years-but Kavuludi and other civilians commissioners objected.
A source at the commission said this caused a heated debate and icy relationship and that at one point Kavuludi asked the police commissioners to stop intimidating him.