A senior police officer who was allegedly transferred by Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha is still in office a week later, with top officials, including Rift Valley regional police commander Tom Odero having visited his station this week, Nation.Africa has established.
Ms Nakhumicha had given the illegal order for the transfer of Matisi OCS John Thuo last week during the burial of John Marango, a popular bouncer killed during the opposition-led protests.
On Friday, Mr Thuo said he was still in his office.
“I cannot discuss the matter please because it’s being handled by my bosses. I am doing my job as usual,” Mr Thuo told Nation on phone.
Mr Odero toured Trans Nzoia on Monday, but details remain scanty since he did not address the media.
Mr Odero arrived on his low-key tour despite his seniority in the police and visited Matisi Police Station where he held a security meeting.
Interior Principal Secretary
An attempt by journalists to push Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, who was in Trans Nzoia County on Tuesday, to comment on the matter bore no fruit as he insisted that the matter “is being handled by the right people”.
“I am aware of the matter but let’s talk about the border issues that brought us here. The matter is (being) handled by the right people,” said Dr Omollo during an inspection tour of Suam one-stop border post on the Kenya-Uganda border.
When she made the ‘order’, Ms Nakhumicha said she drew the powers from the idea that she was representing the government.
One government approach
“We are using the one government approach. That means that when I stand here, I’m representing President William Ruto’s government and I am ordering the transfer of Matisi OCS. If the county commandant is here or wherever he is, let the message reach him that the CS has said that by tomorrow, the OCS should be out of here. I will just go and report to my colleague (Interior CS Kindiki) the action I’ve taken,” Ms Nakhumicha was quoted as saying.
The ‘order’ was roundly condemned as illegal and irregular, with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Kenya saying the Cabinet Secretary had no such mandate.
“The National Police Service Commission is the only body given powers to recruit and appoint persons to hold or act in offices in the Service, confirm appointments, determine promotions and transfers, and exercise disciplinary control over and remove persons holding or acting in offices within the Service,” the ICJ-Kenya said in a statement.
When Nation visited the County Police Commander Ambrose Oloo in this office on Friday, he refused to speak on the matter.
Mr Oloo said the matter had been taken up by his seniors and he could not give a comment on the same.
