Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has been summoned by the National Assembly's Constitutional Implementation Oversight Committee (CIOC) to answer questions over the standoff between his office and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
The summons came amid Kanja's alleged failure to appear before a session with the committee on Tuesday, September 2, prompting concern from lawmakers over what they described as deliberate efforts to undermine the NPSC's operations.
CIOC Chairperson Caroli Omondi revealed on Tuesday that Kanja was expected to appear before the committee on September 16 at 10am.
The chairperson observed that members of the National Police Service who sit in the commission consistently failed to attend meetings, thereby denying the committee the quorum required to conduct its business.
"MPs have raised concern that members of the national police service who sit in the commission deliberately fail to attend meetings, denying the commission quorum to conduct their mandate," Omondi said.
"The members have resolved to issue a summons to the Inspector General of Police to appear before this committee in person on September 16 at 10am," Caroli Omondi, Chairperson of CIOC, said.
Omondi added that the upcoming hearing would not be virtual, since the issues under discussion bore significant public interest.
The committee further accused Kanja of attempting to sabotage the operations of the NPSC - an action which they say was in violation of Article 248 of the constitution.
Article 246 establishes the National Police Service Commission and tasks it with critical responsibilities, including recruitment, appointment, promotion, and disciplinary control of police officers, as well as oversight of their welfare and human resource management.
At the centre of the dispute between the NPSC and NPS is a battle over control of payroll and human resource functions within the police service.
In July, the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) ordered Kanja to transfer all accounting and HR functions to the NPSC, following a tense session chaired by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, during which MPs expressed outrage over the police service’s refusal to provide key financial and personnel records.
Lawmakers also urged both institutions to work towards a more cordial relationship, stressing that their standoff was affecting the proper functioning of the police service.
Days earlier, NPSC attempted to quell tensions by claiming the commission had no issues with the current IG, and that the issues predate September 2024, when Douglas Kanja began his tenure as Inspector General of Police.
