Eight candidates shortlisted for the positions of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for both National and Administration Police services were interviewed yesterday by a seven-member panel from the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
The positions became vacant after President William Ruto appointed then-DIG Douglas Kanja as acting Inspector General of Police following Japhet Koome’s resignation.
Candidates vying for the DIG roles must be at least Assistant Inspector General of Police rank. For the Kenya Police DIG position, the interviewed candidates were Coast Region Police Commander George Sedah, Eliud Lagat, Tom Odero, and Vincent Makokha. For the Administration Police DIG role, Gilbert Masengeli, Margaret Karanja, James Kamau, and Masaoud Mwinyi were considered.
The panel, led by Eliud Kinuthia, also includes IG Kanja, Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Amin Mohamed, and Commissioners Edwin Cheluget, John Ole Moyaki, Lilian Kiamba, and National Police Service accounting officer Bernice Sialaal.
The names of the candidates were published by the commission on Friday as part of the public participation process in the appointment.
“The office is now under a caretaker and the law requires that immediately the appointing authority declares that there are changes in that office. My office is mandated by the law to exactly take 14 days and give a report to the appointing authority on a suitable candidate that we will be recommending for substantive appointment to this position,” NPSC chairman Eliud Kinuthia said.
He added: “So the process that the commission is undertaking here is a competitive recruitment, competitive filling of a vacant position, which is guided by the law and, more specifically, Section 14 of the National Police Service Act and also Article 32, which requires that the commission or the parliament or the president, whenever an appointment or a promotion is being done, it must be done in a competitive way.”
According to Kinuthia, the candidates underwent a structured interview process to assess their readiness and capability for the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) roles.
Given the recent protests marked by instances of hooliganism, the commission faces significant pressure to select a competent officer capable of effectively managing the situation. Kinuthia described the interviews as an “internal competition” among the commission’s staff.
“There is nobody who comes from outside the police service who is qualified to compete for this position. So we are dealing with our staff, staff whom we know, staff whom we have seen perform, and we know their competencies,” he emphasized.
He added that the requirement for this position, you must be a serving police officer who has attained the rank of Assistant Inspector General and above.
“We are looking at an all-around person, a good leader, a good commander, a person who can be confident to lead the officers of other ranks below, and also a person who can be able to lead change and reforms in the National Police Service,” the chairman stated.
The chairman noted that significant reforms are currently underway within the National Police Service, and the incoming Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) will play a crucial role in enhancing officer morale by providing effective leadership and adhering to the police Standing Orders.
Following the interviews, the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) will present their recommendations to President William Ruto for the appointment of the most suitable candidates.
This process marks the first time the commission is interviewing female officers, reflecting the increasing demand for gender balance in public offices.
“We’ve tried to have a gender distribution to the best that we could. There are men and women who applied. We’ll also be meeting candidates of both gender, women and also men in this. And all of them will have a fair and equal opportunity before this panel,” Kinuthia assured.
The commission said that it had established a portal where members of the public can post their queries about any officer who was being interviewed.
“And should we find merit in whatever complaint or whatever issue that has been raised, we will be able to address it here and make the right decision,” Kinuthia said.
He added: “You know where our country is. We know what role the police officers play in this country to maintain law and order and to ensure that life and property is also secured.
As Kenya stares from the aftermath of the month long protest, Kinuthia urged the public to support the police in their mission to maintain law and order.
“I want to call my fellow Kenyans at this moment, it is time to support our police officers so that they can be able to perform their duty with morale. Police officers are human beings. They are our sons and daughters,” Kinuthia said.
He added: “We saw in the previous days that have been there, we’ve seen some very good Kenyans who have assisted the police officers in the cause of doing their duty. We have seen police officers being supported, even being helped from being harmed by the citizens of this country. I want to commend such good gesture by the citizens.”
Additionally, he called on security officers do exercise restraint when handling protestors following the public outcry of police brutality during the Gen Z’s protests.
