President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday directed the police to deal ruthlessly with armed criminals.
He warned them against sparing anyone. Uhuru spoke at the DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road. He spoke at a meeting attended by regional and county DCI chiefs. The President inspected the construction of a police laboratory.
Journalists from all media houses were locked out of the DCI offices. A source at the meeting, however, said Uhuru directed the Interior ministry to review the DCI uniform allowances. The allowances had been withdrawn. DCI officers, unlike their uniformed counterparts in the AP and Kenya police, used to receive a Sh30,000 annual allowance to enable them to buy suits and other civilian clothes.
Media briefs by the President’s press service did not contain the details. The PSCU reported that the President directed a multi-agency approach in the war on corruption. He said the fight was bearing fruit and called for concerted efforts to ensure success.
The source also told the Star that Uhuru steered clear of the controversy surrounding the new changes in the police service. There have been concerns by DCI officers who have interpreted the changes to mean a limit in career growth.
In the new changes, the highest-ranking officer in the county will be a commissioner, a rank lower than their uniform counterparts. The DCI officers will fall under the command of their uniformed counterparts.
In January, DCI chief George Kinoti held a crisis meeting at the DCI headquarters following the radical change in command and reporting lines instituted by the President.