• Mutyambai meets DCI officials, says his mandate includes harmonising DCI, NIS and Regular Police.
• DCI boss Kinoti and police Deputy IG Mbugua clashed on April 24 over the arrests of DCI officers by Regular Police.
Image: FAITH MUTEGI
Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai on Thursday met senior DCI officials in his first session with commanders of the directorate since his appointment.
Mutyambai told the chiefs that he was not in conflict with DCI chief George Kinoti and that his mandate includes harmonising the DCI, the National Intelligence Service and Regular Police.
“Am not fighting with the DCI. In fact, I want to see all agencies working together," Mutyambai is reported to have told the DCI chiefs.
Mutyambai also asked the DCI chiefs not to share details of the meeting with the press. Mutyambai was appointed on March 13.
The meeting comes days after an explosive clash between Director of Criminal Investigations Kinoti and Deputy Inspector General Edward Mbugua over the arrests of DCI officers by Regular Police officers.
During the April 24 meeting at the National Police Service headquarters at Jogoo House, the two clashed after the Kinoti claimed that his officers were being targeted by officers in uniform.
Mbugua is reported to have defended his officers and insisted that the police had received numerous complaints against some DCI officers who are said to be involved in crime.
Mbugua, according to insiders at the meeting, handed over a file containing complaints filed against Kinoti’s officers.
Kinoti is yet to act on the complaints.
On Friday, the DCI chief did not answer numerous calls.
Sources who spoke on condition of anonymity said discussions were centred on getting information from the DCI chiefs on their work and the problems they want addressed.
Kinoti, since his appointment as the top investigator, has been grappling with such divisions within the DCI.
Since taking over from Ndegwa Muhoro, now Kenya’s envoy to Malaysia, the Kinoti administration has been trying to stem infighting between junior and senior officers seen to have been in favour with the former boss.
Sources familiar with operations at the DCI headquarters said several top cops have had to leave the DCI for general duties for fear they would be targeted for being close to the former DCI boss.
“You find a situation where junior officers who have come into the administration have the audacity to even insult and disobey their seniors," said one officer who sought anonymity for fear of reprisal.
“We have seen a situation where a group of junior officers has been nearly making major decisions and even threatening their seniors," another officer said in confidence.
The sources said such issues, which have greatly affected operations at the DCI, were not discussed at the meeting as none of the top cops was courageous enough to raise them.
(Edited by R.Wamochie)