302 defiant cops who skipped vetting sacked

The National Police Service Commission has sacked 302 police officers who failed to appear for vetting.

The officers, in ranks ranging from constable to chief inspector, will receive their dismissal letters from Police Inspector-General Joseph Boinnet.

National Police Service Commission chairman Johnston Kavuludi said the decision to dismiss the officers was reached at a board meeting held at the commission's offices on June 7.

“These include officers who refused to appear before the vetting panel, those who failed to appear, those that neglected the commission’s calls to appear and also those that did not submit the necessary documents to the commission,” Mr Kavuludi said.

He said the commission had no choice but to dismiss the officers because the vetting was a mandatory procedure in "separating the chaff from the wheat".

“Some of these officers did not even communicate to the commission at all,” Mr Kavuludi said, adding that the officers would be considered to have left the service voluntarily.

The commission’s vetting panel is at Kisumu’s Tom Mboya Labour College to scrutinise police officers from the traffic department.

The vetting of police officers started nearly three years ago and several officers found to have been corrupt, incompetent or failed to uphold human rights and dignity in the course of duty have been dismissed.

The assessments are aimed at restoring public confidence in the police service, which is mandated to secure people and property and enforce the law.

They are being conducted under the provisions of the National Police Service Act’s Section 7, which stipulates the need to assess officers' competence.