Inspector General Joseph Boinnet yesterday named new regional police commanders in line with reforms ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta last year.
The reforms collapsed many positions of senior police commanders to create a unified command in regions, counties and sub-counties.
In the changes announced yesterday, director of police operations Philip Ndolo becomes the new Nairobi commander with Marcus Ochola taking over at the Coast.
Judy Lanet will be the new regional commander for Central. Eunice Kihiko was deployed to Eastern as Edward Mwamburi heads to Nakuru to be in charge of Rift Valley. Others are Rashid Yakub (Western), Vincent Makokha (Nyanza) and Paul Soi (Northeastern).
“The appointments were made in consideration of service record, length of service and gender parity,” Boinnet said.
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The police boss said former regional commanders retain their ranks but have been recalled for redeployment within the national police service. Boinnet said new county commanders will be announced this month.
In the reforms, 12 senior police positions were scrapped, including that of AP regional commander, Kenya Police regional commander, DCI regional commander, Kenya Police county commander, AP county commander, DCI county commander, sub-county commanders from all the three arms on the service, OCPD, district AP commander and AP ward commander.
“These positions will be replaced by integrated Police Geo Boundaries and placed under unified commands,” he said. The new commands include regional police command, one county police command, and one sub-county police command.
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Boinnet said Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i will in three days launch the full digitalisation of national police service processes including occurrence book, criminal management systems, personnel management and administration procedures in Kilifi.
The IG said there was a drop in crime rate and road fatalities which he attributed to caution and observance of traffic laws by road users. Criminal and road death records dropped from 3,700 in 2017 to 3,156 last year.
“Though minimal, it shows the public has been more responsible on the road especially pedestrians who form at least 40 per cent of deaths recorded,” Boinnet said.
