Police commission boss says vetting of officers not in vain

Police recruits take the oath of service during a graduation ceremony at Kiganjo Police College in Nyeri on February 12, 2016. National Police Service Commission chief executive Joseph Onyango on May 26, 2018 the vetting exercise has been a success and is still ongoing. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • NPSC chief executive Joseph Onyango said the vetting process has not been in vain and is still ongoing.

  • In March, a survey by the by the EACC showed the police service still topped the list of most corrupt government departments.

The National Police Service Commission has defended police officers’ vetting exercise despite numerous complaints still bedevilling the service.

NPSC chief executive Joseph Onyango said the vetting process has not been in vain and is still ongoing.

Speaking during a Nyanza Regional Inter-County first-aid competition at the Kisumu Police Training College organised by St. John’s Ambulance, Mr Onyango said the commission wants to improve quality of service rendered by the police.

“We are now continuing with vetting of chief inspectors. We started from the top, came down to assistant inspector generals, SSP and now chief inspectors. We shall stop at the level of inspectors,” Mr Onyango said.

But the police department still remains on the spot despite the chief executive’s assertion that vetting has been a success. 

SURVEY

In March, a survey by the by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission showed the police service still topped the list of most corrupt government departments.

The study revealed that most bribes are paid at police stations, county health departments, chiefs' offices, office of the registrar of persons and county commissioners' offices in that order.

The average bribe given out is now Sh7, 081, an increase from Sh5,648 recorded the previous year.

Mr Onyango said in the process of vetting, they however, encounter other issues among them legal and other complications.

“But we allowed affected officers to contest the decisions of the commission in the event they felt unfair. Some have actually been reinstated by the court,” he said.

Mr Onyango said the first-aid training exercise in Kisumu was aimed at training police officer life-saving skills, since they are usually among first responders in accidents and disasters.

Nyanza Regional Commissioner for St John’s ambulance, Mr Elisha Aguya said police officers already trained will represent the region in the national first-aid competition in Nairobi next month at Kiganjo.

He went on: “We are not only training the police but also schools, colleges and even companies so that they may be able to deal with accidents at work place.”

After training, trainees are examined and issued with renewable one-year certificates.

The event at the Kisumu Police Training College was attended by several senior police officers from the region.