Immediate former Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Douglas Kanja will know his fate Wednesday September 18 when Members of Parliament debate and vote on whether to approve his nomination as the next Inspector General of Police.
The National Assembly resumes business on Tuesday, September 17, and top of the agenda the following day is the motion on the appointment of Kanja as the IGP.
It would be the last stage of the approval process after Senators unanimously approved Kanja’s nomination to become the next top cop.
The joint committee of National Assembly Administration and Internal Security and Senate Internal Security, Defence and Foreign Relations earlier vetted and approved Kanja.
Baringo Senator William Cheptumo who chairs the Senate Internal Security and Defence Committee moved the motion, which was unanimously endorsed by senators on August 20.
By then, Parliament had gone on recess.
President William Ruto on July 25 nominated Kanja as the new Inspector General of Police.
He was then vetted by the joint committee of National Assembly.
Kanja was initially appointed acting IG after the resignation of Japhet Koome and later nominated to the position.
This forced him to leave the position to Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Gilbert Masengeli who has since then been the acting IGP.
If approved by Parliament, Kanja will succeed Koome and be the fifth IGP since the enactment of the 2010 Constitution.
Kanja brings a wealth of experience to the table, with a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades. Beginning his journey in law enforcement in 1985, Kanja has steadily risen through the ranks.
Prior to his appointment, Kanja, 60, served as the commandant of the General Service Unit since 2018.
He was appointed DIG KPS in April 2023.
Kanja’s intray is full and he is expected to hit the ground running.
Top on agenda are proposals contained in a report by the National Taskforce on Improvement of Terms and Conditions of Service and other Reforms for Members of the National Police Service, National Youth Service and Kenya Prisons Service.
While serving as the acting IGP, Kanja had sent an internal memo to police asking them to embrace the proposed reforms.
The ambitious reforms are expected to address the welfare of police officers.
They are anchored on three services, oversight and accountability, institutional capacity development and human resource management and development, as well as operational preparedness and logistical capability.
He has previously served as the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service and was the Commandant of the General Service Unit (GSU) for five years.
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