Police agency nominates candidates for top job

The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) on Tuesday nominated three candidates each for the positions of the Inspector General of Police and two deputies.

Former Director of Police Operations David Mwole Kimaiyo who is currently attached to the National Focal Point on Small Arms and Light Weapons scored the highest points with 86.48 per cent.

Kimaiyo was followed by his deputy at the Small Arms, Engineer John Patrick Ochieng Owino who scored 78.98 per cent.

Mr Ochieng, a Senior Aviator and Management scientist, joined the police service in 1975 as a cadet inspector where he rose to the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police.

He is a qualified aeronautical engineer who has also worked in the fields of aviation safety and security, aircraft maintenance engineering, piloting and air accident investigation.

Eng Ochieng is a graduate of the University of Nairobi and ICAO approved aviation academies, schools and manufacturing facilities from the USA, Germany, Russia, Uganda and Kenya.

He has also served as the deputy commandant and the chief engineer Kenya Police Airwing.

Kenya Airports Police Unit (KAPU) boss Grace Kaindi came third after scoring 69.40 per cent.

Kaindi, who is also the former Nyanza PPO, was the first to face the interviewing panel.

She had told the commission that if appointed police boss she would engage officers who retired honourably.

“Retired officers have interacted with the public and may be an asset to the service, especially now that we have an inadequate number of officers,” she said.

An individual who wrote to the commission said Ms Kaindi was not suitable for the post since she had failed to quell riots when she was the Nyanza Provincial police boss during the 2007/2008 poll chaos.

She, however, dismissed the claims, saying that she did her best.

CID boss Francis Ndegwa Muhoro who had been interviewed for the position of the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Kenya Police was graded the best with 89.18 per cent.

Railways PCIO Judy Ndeda Chebet came second with 86.07 per cent followed by former police Spokesman Jasper Nyauma Ombati currently attached to the UN Mission in Sudan who scored 85.03 per cent.

The current acting Administration Police Commandant emerged the best in the category of those who were interviewed for the position of the Deputy Inspector General in charge of the AP.

Samuel Arachi scored 90.22 per cent and was followed by the Deputy CID director, Gideon Kimilu.

David Karugu Ngondi came third with 55.33 per cent. Ngondi is a Superintendent of Police (SP) from the General Service Unit (GSU).

The commission chair Johnson Kavuludi said that the names will be gazetted on Wednesday and then forwarded to President Kibaki to reconsider the recommendations in consultation with the Prime Minister Raila Odinga before forwarding the names to Parliament.

He said that some of the candidates were not nominated because their certificates were questionable.