NAIROBI Kenya, June 13 -Parliament on June 13 approved the nomination of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji as the Director-General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
The vote was a near unanimous decision with Budalang’i MP Raphael Wanjala as the only one who gave a dissenting voice.
President William Ruto has been notified and the new country’s spymaster is expected to be sworn in soon.
Under Section 7 of the National Intelligence Service Act, the DG is appointed by the President, with approval of the National Assembly.
Haji returns to the NIS after a six-year sojourn as the DPP.
Before becoming the nation’s apex public prosecutor, Haji served as the Deputy Director of Counter Organized Crime Unit within the National Intelligence Service.
Haji was vetted by Parliament’s Defence and Foreign Relations Committee on May 30 to consider his suitability by a committee chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech
Haji’s ascension to the office of the spy master however faced several hurdles, with some civil and human rights organizations saying he has shown that he is a man who can be coerced and intimidated into violating the Constitution.
Haji will be remembered for spearheading reforms within the ODPP including the successful deployment of an electronic filing system, significantly enhancing service delivery, and the establishment of the Prosecution Training Institute (PTI) which plays a pivotal role in developing the skills and capabilities of prosecutors in the region.
Under his leadership, there was also the review of policies and guidelines in the prosecution sector that disrupted the outdated and corrupt system of the past.
The former DPP now becomes the principal advisor to the President and Government on national security, responsible for the overall management and administration of the Service, and participate in the formulation of national intelligence policy and strategy.
As the head of State, President William Ruto chairs the National Security Council (NSC), a body established under Article 240 of the Constitution, to exercise supervisory control over national security organs.
The council consists of Cabinet Secretaries for Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Interior, and the Chief of Defence Forces, DG NIS and the Inspector General of Police.
Haji who will enjoy security of tenure while in office, replaces General Philip Wachira Kameru who has retired after his term was extended by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The DG should serve for a term of five years, but can serve a maximum of two sequential terms in office.
Kameru, his predecessor, was appointed in August 2014, succeeding Maj-Gen. Michael Gichangi.
Kameru was the third NIS boss to be appointed from the military after Gichangi and his predecessor, Brig (Rtd)Wilson Boinet. Boinett was appointed NSIS DG in January 1999 for a 5-year term.
He was re-appointed for a further term of two years. Other past DGs are James Kanyotu and William Kivuvani.
The NIS is a disciplined civilian service and has seven divisions, each headed by a director. The main functions of the NIS are security intelligence and counter intelligence to enhance national security.
It also collects intelligence to be shared with relevant state agencies, detect and identify threats or potential threats to national security, advise the President and Government of any threat or potential threat to national security, and undertake security vetting.
The divisions include the internal intelligence (for gathering domestic intelligence), External intelligence (for gathering foreign intelligence), and Counter-intelligence (for gathering and performing counter-intelligence). Other divisions are the Administration, IT, Operations, Analysis and production, and the National Intelligence Academy.
However, NIS does not carry out police functions, undertake paramilitary activities, or commit an act of violence against a person.
The NIS started as the Special Branch, which was formally created in 1952 and operated under the Commissioner of Police. It acted as a secret intelligence unit for the colonial government during the insurgence of the Mau Mau uprising.
In 1963 it was made independent from the Police Force, and its operations formalised through a Presidential charter in 1969.
In 1986, the Special Branch was transformed into the Directorate of Security Intelligence (DSI) through a Presidential charter, but the structures and organization were retained.
In January 1999, the National Security Intelligence Service (NSIS) was created with the enactment of the National Security Intelligence Service Act, 1998.
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