National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga/COURTESYThe National Police Service has dismissed as false reports by a local daily alleging the loss of millions of shillings meant for police officers deployed during the recently concluded CHAN tournament.
Kenya jointly hosted the tournament with Uganda and Tanzania.
In a statement released on Saturday, October 4, the NPS described the claims as sensational and erroneous assertions amounting to misinformation.
The NPS added that this amounted to personal attacks against a senior officer in the service.
“The alleged ‘facts’ reported are distortions that constitute character assassination,” the statement signed by NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga read in part.
"To clarify, the number of officers initially deployed to provide security for the recently concluded CHAN games at Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums was 2,986. However, due to serious emerging security issues, this number was nearly tripled to approximately 8,546 police officers," NPS said.
During one of Kenya’s opening matches at Kasarani, fans overwhelmed security officers and forced their way into the stadium, some without tickets.
The breach prompted the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to impose penalties on Kenya, including limiting ticket sales to 60 per cent of stadium capacity and banning the use of physical tickets for the remainder of the competition.
The NPS said these developments required a significant scale-up in deployment to safeguard spectators, players and property, noting that the increased numbers accounted for the higher operational costs.
“The purported exposé fails to mention essential logistical considerations such as vehicle fuel, catering and the Daily Subsistence Allowance for officers deployed from outside Nairobi. These facts would have been crucial for the newspaper to consider before publishing,” the statement said.
The NPS urged for factual media reporting, saying anything contrary could potentially attract legal redress, even as it reaffirmed its commitment to transparency and accountability in all operations.
“As a service, we remain open to public scrutiny and shall at all times strive to be responsive, transparent and accountable,” the NPS said.
Kenya’s hosting of the CHAN tournament drew massive crowds and heightened security concerns, leading to tighter control measures and increased personnel deployment by the NPS.
All of Kenya’s matches were major crowd-pullers, and the security detail initially deployed to man the venues was overwhelmed.
Things went over the edge during the Kenya - Morocco game on August 10 when fans breached the perimeter wall, resulting in a Sh6.5 million penalty from CAF.
The 60,000-capacity Kasarani Stadium was also restricted to 27,000 spectators for Kenya’s subsequent home matches, with entry limited to electronic ticket holders only.
