Search for new police body head begins

Interviews to pick the head of the National Police Service Commission will take place on December 1 and 2.

The chairman of the panel charged with picking the commission’s members, Hassan Omar Hassan said they had shortlisted eleven candidates who will be interviewed for the post.

The interviews shall be held at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on the two days.

Under the Constitution, the commission shall be charged with recruiting, hiring, promoting and transferring police officers. According to clause 246 of the constitution, the commission will exercise overall disciplinary control over police officers and preside over the removal from office of errant police officers.

Addressing a press conference Wednesday, Mr Hassan said the panel had received a total of 21 applications for the post of chairperson, out of which it has shortlisted eleven.

Those shortlisted include four women and one youth as well as distinguished academicians and member of the civil society, Mr Hassan stated. 

They include Bernard Mbai, Byrum Ongaya, Ms Amina Masoud, Dr Eric Bor and Ms Hulda Ogoti.

Others are former Interim Independent Boundaries Review Commission (IIBRC) commissioner Murshid Mohammed, former Provincial Director of Education and Labour Ministry official Johnstone Kavuludi, prominent gender activist Ms Jean Kamau, former Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) commissioner Mumo Matemu and Ms Margaret Cheboiywo.

“The selection panel wishes to note that it is generally satisfied with the quality of applications for the positions of chairperson, retired police officers from the Kenya Police Service and other members to the National Police Service Commission. We note that the candidacies were in our considered view strong applicants,” Mr Hassan noted.

The panel was required to shortlist, interview and forward to the President the names of one retired senior officer from the regular police and an other from the Administration Police to sit on the commission.

Mr Hassan stated that whereas the panel had received fourteen applications from retired senior officers from the regular police, it had received only one from the AP forcing it to re-advertise and invite applications from retired senior APs.

“We will therefore not proceed with interviews for the positions of retired senior police officers until we receive more applications from retired senior Administration Police officers because we want to conduct the interviews at the same time,” Mr Hassan said.

“The selection panel is also considering around 180 applications for appointment to three positions as members,” he added but said the panel was yet to create the shortlist for the positions.

According to the Constitution, the Commission shall comprise a person qualified to be appointed as a High Court Judge, two retired senior police officers and three persons of integrity who have served the public with distinction, all appointed by the President.

Other members of the Commission are the Inspector-General of the National Police Service and the two Deputy Inspectors-General.