•Hilary Mutyambai has worked in the police service for 27 years
•He will use his wealth of experience in executing his duties
Image: COURTESY
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nominee for Inspector General of police yesterday promised to transform and restore sanity in the National Police Service.
Hilary Mutyamba, an intelligence officer, said he will firmly deal with rogue officers who have tainted the image of the service.
Mutyamba in particular vowed to take stern, but lawful action, against corrupt officers, those implicated in extrajudicial killings and those who violated the law when executing their mandate.
“Police have been accused of extrajudicial killings, violation of human rights and all sorts of accusations. I am coming to restore the expectations of Kenyans in the service. I will lead a clean force with integrity,” he said.
He pledged to oversee the implementation of the ongoing reforms in the NPS and engage the Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the National Police Service Commission to improve the welfare of officers.
Mutyambai was being vetted by MPs and Senators in Parliament Buildings. He appeared before the joint committee on administration of National Security of the National Assembly and Defence and Foreign Relations of the Senate.
The panels are chaired by Kiambaa MP Paul Koinange and Garissa Senator Yusuf Haji respectively.
He was asked what action he will take, if approved, to deal with the corruption-laden service.
“Kenyans have been waiting for an IG who can deal with the corruption in the traffic department, deal with criminal gangs and police impunity,” Koinange said.
The legislators also wanted to know his plans to deal with extra-judicial killings, criminal gangs, cattle rustling and terrorism.
Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula asked, “More than 42 criminal gangs have emerged in nearly every part of this country. They are terrorising people and causing mayhem. What are you going to do if this House approves you?”
Mutyambai, who has worked in the NPS and National Intelligence Service for 27 years, said he will bank on his wealth of experience to deal with the security challenges.
The 55 year-old veteran said he is a man of integrity and will lead by example. He will not take bribes.
“I will lead by my own example. If am not able to have integrity, then my juniors will not take me seriously. I will talk to the officers and tell them my position. I will use the internal affairs unit to identify bad officers,” he said.
“Having been in the field as a constable, in the station as a commander and finally in the intelligence service, I know the challenges police face and the gaps in our security systems that need to be addressed.”
He is currently the deputy director, Counter-terrorism at the National Intelligence Service.
Mutyambai was born in Machakos in 1964. He graduated with the BSc. in Agriculture from the University of Nairobi in 1987.
He joined the police service as a constable in 1993 and rose through the ranks to superintendent of police in 1998. He joined NIS in 1999.
The committee will table their report on his vetting in the respective Houses on Tuesday.
If approved, Mutyambai will be the third IG since the promulgation of the new Constitution in 2010. He will take over from Joseph Bonnet whose term ended early this month.