Kindiki: No officer should serve in one station for more than three years

By Peter Ochieng

Cabinet Secretary (CS) for interior Abraham Kithure Kindiki wants the National Police Service (NPS) to ensure that no police officers serves in one station for more than three years.

Speaking during a session with Senators on Wednesday, Kindiki said, "the signal communicating this directive has already been relayed. These are part of recommendations by the taskforce on police reforms chaired by former Chief Justice David Kenani Maraga."

Some human rights activists and members of the public hold the view that corruption is cultivated when a police officers serves in a given area for long.

CS Kindiki said NPS has two months to effect the directive, warning that any officer who does not comply within the given time frame will face the music.

"The National Police Service has 60 days to implement this policy directive. Any officer who does not comply with the 60-day directive will have their salary stopped forthwith," warned the CS.

He added that the government has intensified what he termed as foot and mobile patrols, aimed at curbing kidnappings.

"To enhance security and bring to book perpetrators of criminal activities such as kidnappings and abductions, the government is intensifying foot and mobile patrols, sensitization of the communities on the importance of sharing intelligence information on suspicious persons in their locality who are likely to commit crimea and revitalising community policing and Nyumba Kumi initiative to enhance information sharing."

Concerning the war against terrorism, the CS said his ministry will soon publish the list of suspects, financiers and planners of the vice in Lamu county.

"In the next few days, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration will publish a list of persons we suspect are the chief architects, planners, and perpetrators of terror attacks in Lamu County. We will announce cash rewards for persons who volunteer information that will lead to the arrest of the suspects. The suspects will be required to surrender at any Police Station or else our security officers will pursue them and deal with them ruthlessly and in accordance with the law," said Kindiki.

He added that since the 1998 US Nairobi Embassy attack, approximately 500 lives have been lost through terror attacks in the country.