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Hillary Mutyambai Hillary Mutyambai is a former Inspector-General of police in Kenya. Security Affairs * In 1991, he joined the police service as a junior officer before being promoted to Superintendent of police. * He was the Deputy director of National Intel ...

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The Kenya Police Service is a national body in charge of law enforcement in

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. It is subordinate to National Police Service which is headed by Inspector General of Police who exercises independent command over the Service. Kenya Police is headed by Deputy Inspector General. Kenya Police is divided into Service Headquarters in Nairobi, Formations, General Duty Commands and Training Institutions. Administration Police Service is commanded through a hierarchy separate from that of the Kenya Police. For other state security bodies see

Law enforcement in Kenya Kenya's National Police Service (NPS) is the umbrella law enforcement organ in Kenya. The service was established in 2011 under Article 243 of the Constitution of Kenya, following dissolution of Kenya Police Force and Administration Po ...

. Recruitment to the police service is done on yearly basis.

History

The Kenya police force was established as a British colonial police force in 1907. From the 1887 to 1902 policing was provided by the East Africa Trading Company. After 1902 the Kenya-Uganda Railway introduced their own police units. In 1906 the Police Ordinance was established to create a new force in 1907, the Nairobi Mounted Police within the jurisdiction of the East Africa Protectorate. The current force's name came into effect in 1920 with the newly created British

Kenya Colony The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in ...

. The colonial force was made up mainly of British and

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

recruits as senior officers and Africans amongst lower ranks. Following Kenya's independence, the British officers were replaced with local Kenyan members.

Structure

General

Kenya Police is divided into General Duty and Formations. General Duty comprises components with regions being the largest and police patrol bases being the smallest. Regional Police Commander is in charge of a Region (formerly Provinces), County Police Commander is in charge of Officers in the

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

, Sub-County Police Commander Superintends Sub-County (previously called District). Officer Commanding Station (OCS) is in charge of a Police Station in a Ward and oversees all its Police Posts and Patrol Bases (Ward Commander).

Formations

The Kenya Police formations/Units are headed by commandants/directors, who hold the rank of Senior Assistant Inspector General,

Assistant Inspector General of Police Law enforcement in Pakistan ( ur, ) is one of the three main components of the criminal justice system of Pakistan, alongside the judiciary and the prisons. The country has a mix of federal, provincial and territorial police forces with both gen ...

(AIG)or Commissioner of Police (CP). These formations are listed as under: # General Service Unit (GSU): both headquarters and training school are in

; the Commandant is Douglas Kanja. #Diplomatic Police Unit: It is headed by a Commandant from its

headquarters. # # Traffic Police Department: It is headed by a Commandant from its

offices. #
Kenya Police College
It is headed by a Commandant from its headquarters at

Kiganjo Kiganjo is a small town in Kenya's Nyeri county. It hosts the Kenya Police College which is Kenya's main college for police training. Kiganjo also hosts one of the Kenya Cooperative Creameries KCC (now New KCC) and a milk depot for the Brookside M ...

in Nyeri County. # # # # Kenya Police Air Wing: It is headed by a Commandant from its

headquarters. #Presidential Escort Unit: It is headed by Commandant from its Statehouse

headquarters. #Railways Police: It is headed by a Commandant from its

headquarters. # # Kenya Police Dog Unit: It is headed by a Commandant from its

headquarters. # # Tourist Police Unit: It is headed by a Commandant from its offices in Old Nairobi Area Provincial Police headquarters in

. # Kenya Airports Police Unit: It is headed by a Commandant from its

headquarters and three divisions (Nairobi, Eldoret, Moi airports). # # Maritime Police Unit: It is headed by a Commanding Officer from its headquarters at

Kilindini Harbour Kilindini Harbour is a large, natural deep-water inlet extending inland from Mombasa, Kenya. It is at its deepest center, although the controlling depth is the outer channel in the port approaches with a dredged depth of . It serves as the harbo ...

Mombasa Mombasa ( ; ) is a coastal city in southeastern Kenya along the Indian Ocean. It was the first capital of the British East Africa, before Nairobi was elevated to capital city status. It now serves as the capital of Mombasa County. The town is ...

Police ranks

The Kenya Police wear badges of rank on the shoulders ( Inspector-General –

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

) and sleeve ( senior sergeant –

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

) of their uniform to denote their rank. In line with the ongoing reforms, the uniforms committee is also working on new insignia for the revised rank structure, which will have to be approved by the

National Police Service Commission The National Police Service Commission of Kenya is an Independent government Commission established under the Constitution of Kenya to ensure smooth functioning of the National Police Service of Kenya. Roles The commission's roles include: * Re ...

. The order of Kenya Police ranks is as follows: # Inspector-General (formerly Commissioner of Police) – equivalent to the 2-star

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). # # Deputy Inspector-General – equivalent to the one-star rank -brigadier general in the KDF # # Senior Assistant Inspector-General – equivalent to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the KDF. # # Assistant Inspector-General – equivalent to the

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in the KDF # # Commissioner of Police # Senior Superintendent – equivalent to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the KDF # # Superintendent – equivalent to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the KDF # # Assistant Superintendent – equivalent to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the KDF # # Chief Inspector – equivalent to

Warrant Officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

1 in the KDF # #

– equivalent to

2 or sergeant major in the KDF # # Senior Sergeant – equivalent to senior sergeant in the KDF # #

Sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

– equivalent to

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in the KDF # # Corporal # #

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

– equivalent to

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the KDF Former Kenya Police ranks and
Kenya Police – Ranks and Insignia
can be found at this reference.

Commissioners of Police & Inspectors-General

From 1906 to 1964 the force was headed by British officers. In 2012, the position of

Inspector General An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

was introduced to head the newly created National Police Service. The current Inspector General is

who is the third holder of the position. The following officers have to date served in the capacity of Commissioner of Police: * Bernard Hinga 1964–1978 * Ben Gethi 1978–1982 * Bernard Njinu 1982–1988 * Phillip Kilonzo 1988–1993 * Shedrack Kiruki 1993–1996 * Duncan Wachira 1996–1998 * Philemon Abong’o 1998–2002Daily Nation website, 30 December 2008
Former police chief Nyaseda dies in hospital
/ref> * Edwin Nyaseda 2002–2003 *

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Mohammed Hussein Ali Major General Mohammed Hussein Ali ( so, Maxamed Xuseen Cali; born 1956 in Eldoret) is a Kenyan military commander. He was formerly commissioner of the Kenya Police. He is currently chief executive of the Postal Corporation of Kenya. Early l ...

2004–2009Daily Nation, 8 September 2009
Kibaki moves Ali, names new Kenya police boss
/ref> * Mathew Kirai Iteere 2009–2012 * Grace Kaindi 2013-2015 * Joel Kitili 2015-2018 * Edward N. Mbugua 2018 to date The following officers have served as Inspector-General: * David Mwole Kimaiyo 2012–2014 * Acting Inspector-General Samuel Arachi Deputy Inpsector General-Administration Police Service 31 December 2014 – 11 March 2015 * Joseph Kipchirchir Boinett 11 March 2015 – March 2019 * Hillary Nzioki Mutyambai 8 April 2019http://www.nationalpolice.go.ke/

Ongoing changes

Following the promulgation of the new Constitution of Kenya on 27 August 2010, as laid down in Chapter 17 Part 4, the Kenyan police forces is undergoing a series of reforms. Hence called ''The Kenya Police Service'', it is now headed by a Deputy Inspector-General and the division of its functions are organised to take into account the devolved structure of government in Kenya. In the ongoing changes that started in 2018, police operational command was aligned police with existing administrative boundaries to create a unified command as follows:- 1. Regional Police Commander (RPC) 2. County Police Commander (CPC) 3. Sub County Police Commander (SPC) 4. Officer in charge Police Station ( OCS) The following positions were therefore abolished:- 1. APS Regional Commander 2. KPS Regional Commander 3. DCI Regional Commander 4. County Coordinating Commander 5. KPS County Commander 6. APS County Commander 7. DCI County Commander 8. APS Sub County Commander 9. DCI Sub County Commander 10. KPS Officer Commanding Police Divisions 11.District Administration Police Commander Consequently, the number of commanders were reduced from 168 to 56 Commanders.

Equipment

The equipment of the Kenya Police and General Service Unit (GSU), a paramilitary wing of the Kenyan Police, comprises: Aircraft * 2 Cessna fixed wing aircraft (United States), the latest (2011) being a

Cessna 208 Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA ...

light aircraft Kenyan Police Cessna 208 Caravan at Nairobi's Wilson Airport

* 1 AS350 B3e Ecureuil helicopter (France) (January 2012), June 2012, crashed, total loss, with 6 fatalities. Kenyan Police Air Wing AS 350 Potters-1

* 4

helicopters (Russia) Kenyan Police Mil Mi-17 UA-320-1

* 4

Bell 206 The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- and twin-engined helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec, plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter progra ...

helicopters (United States) * 3 AW139 helicopters (Italy), one of which crashed without fatalities resulting in being written off * 1

AW119 The AgustaWestland AW119 Koala, produced by Leonardo since 2016, is an eight-seat utility helicopter powered by a single turboshaft engine produced for the civil market. Introduced as the Agusta A119 Koala prior to the Agusta-Westland merger, i ...

Koala helicopter (Italy) Weapons *

G3 Rifle The Heckler & Koch G3 (''Gewehr'' 3) is a 7.62×51mm NATO, select-fire battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch (H&K) in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CE ...

* AK-47 Rifle * MP5 Submachine Gun * Scorpion EVO 3 A1 Submachine gun * M16 assault rifles *

M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively ...

s * Glock Pistol * Browning Pistol * Jericho 94 Pistol * CZ 75 Pistol *

M79 grenade launcher The M79 grenade launcher is a single-shot, shoulder-fired, break-action grenade launcher that fires a 40×46mm grenade, which uses what the US Army calls the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low, and first appeared during the V ...

s * M67 recoilless rifle Vehicles * 30 VN-4 Armoured Personnel Carriers (GSU) *Troop carrying vehicles *Buses *Vans *Patrol cars – 4 x 4 *Patrol Cars-saloon *Surveillance Vehicles 4 × 4 with radio *Motorcycles *M/Vs Civil disturbance * * *Break downs/ Recovery Vehicles *Fire Engines *Water Bowsers *Fuel Tankers *Boats *

Societal Impact

Following a history of human right abuses by the Kenya Police, efforts are being made to reform the force. Kenyan policemen are poorly paid and have to make use with archaic housing that has not been expanded or renovated since the 1970s. This has made them very susceptible to corruption and crime. Extortion and bribery are known practices and the Kenyan people rank the police among the most corrupt bodies in the country. In July 2010 the Minister,

Prof. Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

George Saitoti George Musengi Saitoti, State Commendations of Kenya, E.G.H. (3 August 1945 – 10 June 2012) was a Kenyan politician, businessman and American- and British-trained economist, mathematician and development policy thinker. As a mathematician, S ...

, announced a 28% pay increase for junior officers and a 25% pay increase for senior officers. This reform means that the most junior officer, a police constable, shall receive KSh.21,000/= per month including allowances.

References

External links

Kenya Police website

Administration Police
{{DEFAULTSORT:Police Law enforcement agencies of Kenya Organizations established in 1920

History

Structure

General

Formations

Police ranks

Commissioners of Police & Inspectors-General

Ongoing changes

Equipment

Societal Impact

See also

References

External links