NAIROBI Kenya Aug 3 -More than 1,000 police officers of the rank of Inspector of Police (IP) have been promoted in changes in the National Police Service.
Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome made the announcement in memos to the affected officers.
The promotions, which followed interviews, had been pending for a very long period.
The promoted officers include 381 from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), 471 from the Kenya Police (KPS) and more than 200 from the Administration Police Service (APS).
They were informed of the promotions in internal communication dated July 31.
“They may now wear appropriate badges of rank pertinent to the rank of Chief Inspector of Police. Congratulations for well-deserved promotion,” the communication read.
The promoted officers from Kenya Police Service are expected to undergo a 6-weeks training at the National Polce College, Main Campus Kiganjo from August 7.
Most officers of the rank of Chief Inspector serve as Officers Commanding Station (OCS) or heads of Traffic at the Sub-County level, and hence are seen as crucial in the general running of police service.
Others serve as the Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officers (SCCIO). In investigations, they are the ones allowed to record confessions for use in cases. They also command various operations at different stages.
This comes amid a dispute between some commissioners at the National Police Service Commission and the Inspector General of police Japhet Koome on who should effect promotions and at what stage.
A case is pending in court over the sage and has since been pushed to November 2023.
The commission has since met to iron out the differences and agreed but the agreement is yet to be registered in court. The commission said they have agreed and they will register the consent soon.
Petitions were filed in court following a move by the IG to promote 514 senior officers to various ranks in accordance with provisions of the Constitution 2010.
Koome announced the promotions, which saw the newly-appointed Commandant of the General Service Unit, Eliud Lagat, the director-general of the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), Bruno Shioso, Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations Nicholas Kamwende, the director of DCI’s Investigations Bureau (IB) David Birech and John Onyango of crime research promoted to the rank of SAIG.
Also promoted to the same rank was Abdalla Komesha, the Director of the Internal Affairs Unit.
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