NPSC asks police officers to produce M-Pesa statements for vetting

Police Service Commissioner Mary Owuor during the vetting of police officers from the North Rift Region at Noble Hotel in Eldoret on March 18, 2015. The National Police Service Commission has called on senior police officers across the country to prepare their bank and M-Pesa statements as they await vetting PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA |

What you need to know:

  • The officers are also required indicate the number of businesses they own, including bars and restaurants, and proceeds from rental fees among others.
  • She said the commission had established that junior officers working in the traffic department regularly transferred fixed amounts of money to some of their seniors.
  • Ms Owuor stressed the need for accountability in the workforce, saying it was the only way of restoring public confidence in the police service.

The National Police Service Commission has called on senior police officers across the country to prepare their bank and M-Pesa statements as they await vetting.

NPSC Commissioner Mary Owuor told officers lined up for vetting to be armed with certified bank statements and a two-year M-Pesa statement.

The officers are also required indicate the number of businesses they own, including bars and restaurants, and proceeds from rental fees among others.

“We also require you to compile a list of all your beneficiaries, tell us if you have received some hand out, and anything else you own,’ said Ms Owuor.

She was speaking during a sensitisation meeting with officers, including OCSs, their deputies, all traffic officers and all officers in the Directorate of Criminal Investigations from Narok and Bomet counties.

The meeting, also attended by the National Traffic Commandant Jacinta Kinyua, was held at the Mara Link Hotel in Narok Town on Friday.

VETTING FORMS

Ms Owuor gave the officers 14 days to fill in the vetting application forms before they are forwarded to the commission.

She noted the vetting process had shed light on the complex corruption networks and the interface between junior officers and their seniors.

She said the commission had established that junior officers working in the traffic department regularly transferred fixed amounts of money to some of their seniors.

According to her, this suggested the officers had been given targets.

She assured the officers and other stakeholders that decisions are arrived at after a thorough process and strict adherence to the vetting regulations and standards.

She said public information on officers to be vetted was a crucial aspect of the exercise and called on the public to be part on the process to weed out corrupt officers in the service.

Ms Owuor stressed the need for accountability in the workforce, saying it was the only way of restoring public confidence in the police service.

She urged the officers not to panic ahead of the exercise, saying the process was meant to restore sanity and enhance service delivery in the police force.

“We want the police to view vetting as a platform to improve service delivery and not one that is meant to harass, discipline and show them the door,” he said.