Murkomen: New Nairobi police unit to focus on business protection, public order

  Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, UK's Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Deputy IG Gilbert Masengeli, Kenya's High Commissioner to the UK Maurice MakOloo and National coordination PS Ahmed Ibrahim in London /HANDOUT

Effective public order management and protection of businesses and critical infrastructure will be key pillars of the planned Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit (NMPU), Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said.

Speaking during a benchmarking visit to the City of London Police in the United Kingdom on Thursday, Murkomen said the Kenyan delegation sought to understand how London’s specialised urban police service manages public order while safeguarding commercial districts and strategic installations.

“We sought to learn the systems put in place to manage public order and protect businesses and critical installations,” Murkomen said.

According to the CS, lessons drawn from London’s policing model will help shape the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit into a modern, professional and effective security formation capable of addressing the unique challenges of a major metropolitan area. 

The London visit comes as the government intensifies efforts to operationalise the NMPU, a specialised unit envisioned to strengthen security, improve rapid response capabilities, combat emerging criminal threats, and enhance coordination among security agencies in Nairobi and its satellite towns. 

Earlier, Murkomen and his delegation met UK’s Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, where discussions focused on cooperation in establishing the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit and broader Kenya–UK security collaboration under the two countries’ strategic partnership framework.

The CS was accompanied by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, National Government Coordination Principal Secretary Ahmed Ibrahim, Kenya’s High Commissioner to the UK Maurice Makoloo and Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli.

According to Sakaja, the talks centred on leveraging British expertise in metropolitan policing to help shape Nairobi’s new security framework.

“We explored collaboration in the establishment of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit, drawing on the experience of the UK’s policing institutions in urban policing, public safety and crime prevention,” Sakaja said.

The Governor added that the initiative is aimed at creating a modern and effective security unit capable of addressing the unique challenges facing Nairobi as a rapidly growing metropolitan city.

Murkomen said Kenya and the UK share a long-standing partnership in security, governance and law enforcement, making Britain a key partner in the development of the new unit.

“We explored cooperation in the establishment of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit as we seek to leverage the UK’s institutional experience and decades of operational excellence,” he said.

The CS said the discussions also covered broader issues under the Kenya–UK Strategic Partnership Framework and the two countries’ security cooperation compact.

The London meeting is the latest step in the government’s efforts to benchmark global best practices as it lays the groundwork for the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit.

It comes just a day after the team arrived in New York City alongside senior security officials on a learning mission aimed at drawing lessons from the New York Police Department (NYPD), widely regarded as one of the world’s most successful urban policing institutions.

The visit is part of an international benchmarking exercise that will also take the team to Rome and Tokyo as the government finalises plans for the NMPU.

The proposed unit is expected to strengthen security, maintain public order and tackle emerging criminal threats in Nairobi, one of Africa’s fastest-growing metropolitan centres.

The government has been conducting international benchmarking missions in cities such as New York and London as it develops the framework, operating procedures, and command structure for the new unit, which is expected to serve as a model for similar metropolitan police formations in other major Kenyan cities.