Push and pull over new city police unit

The formation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit recently faced teething problems after it emerged that the initial proposal prepared at Vigilance House did not clearly spell out the officers’ operation and command structure.

The directive to form a special unit to tackle criminals in Nairobi metropolis was issued by President William Ruto during the signing of a Sh80 billion cooperation agreement between the Nairobi City County and the National government.

Ruto had indicated that officers from the National Police Service (NPS) would be joining those from the Nairobi City County Inspectorate to enhance security in the city in the wake of rising criminal activities.

But sources at City Hall and NPS claim the initial proposal did not meet expectations. They say the proposal did not define the exact roles of the officers and the command structure.

“The first proposal was prepared by Vigilance House but when it was presented in State House, it did not explain the roles of the officers,” a police source revealed.

“It appeared that the drafters thought it was a normal deployment. That’s why Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen were advised to relook at it and plan a benchmarking [trip to New York] and fine-tune the functions of the unit,” the source added.

Thus, on Tuesday Murkomen and Sakaja, accompanied by senior County Enforcement Officers, announced that they had left for New York on a benchmarking mission.

In his statement, Murkomen said they were taken through presentations on how the New York Police Department (NYPD) tracks and deters crime trends in the five boroughs of the New York City.

“We are taking the lessons and best practices back home as we gear up for the establishment of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit,” Murkomen said. “Our goal is to build a modern, professional and technology-driven police unit capable of effectively responding to emerging security threats and safeguarding Nairobi and its environs.”

Sakaja said the discussion focused on strengthening collaboration and exploring areas of partnership between NPS, the Nairobi City County Inspectorate and the NYPD. “The goal is to build a seamless and effective security framework that enhances cooperation between the National and County enforcement agencies.”

However, a senior inspectorate officer told The Standard that they are waiting for a circular from the Interior ministry on the exact dates and criteria of the recruitment of the officers.

He added that, initially, about 700 police officers will be deployed after a rigorous training. He also said the inspectorate officers who travelled to New York will help in drafting operation guidelines.

Different uniform

According to the source, the officers will be recruited from different police units and taken through a refresher course on tackling urban criminal activities, adding that the setting up of the unit is long-term.

He said the aim is to have a security unit that embraces community engagement to strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and the city residents, improve intelligence gathering and enhance public confidence.

“The goal of taking them for training is to make them flexible on how to handle civilians, they will not operate like normal police officers and their uniform will be different,” he added.

According to an NPS insider privy to the structure guiding the rollout, the unit is expected to tackle armed robbery, drug trafficking, and extortion rings among other crimes rampant in the city.

“The unit is expected to enhance collaboration with NPS, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and the Nairobi County Inspectorate,” he said.

It is expected that the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit will not only operate within the Central Business District (CBD) but also the broader Nairobi metropolis with their command centre at City Cabanas.