The National Police Service (NPS) has opposed a Bill proposing the introduction of a retirement age and term limit for the Inspector General of Police and his deputies.
Speaking before the National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security on Tuesday, the Director of Legal Affairs, Amos Obuga, who was representing the service, said that the retirement of an IG should not be determined by age, but rather by competence, experience, and institutional knowledge.
Obuga was commenting on the National Police Service (Amendment) Bill 2025, sponsored by Teso North MP Oku Kaunya, that proposes capping the IG’s and his deputies' retirement age at 60. If passed, the bill could force Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to retire, since he is 61 years.
Additionally, the bill has proposed introducing a five-year term limit for the Deputy Inspector General.
Currently, DIGs do not have a term limit like IGs, who can only serve a single non-renewable term of four years. Article 245 of the Constitution specifies that the IG is appointed for a single four-year term and is not eligible for re-appointment.
Furthermore, the bill also seeks to enact new procedures for the recruitment and removal of the IG and the Deputy IG.
“While age correlates with experience, it should not be used as a disqualifying factor for leadership. Competence, integrity, professionalism and strategic thinking should remain the principal criteria for appointment to the positions of IG and the two deputies,” Kanja said.
If the bill sails through, according to Obuga, it might in turn sideline skilled and experienced officers from leading the NPS.
According to the Teso North Lawmaker, the proposed amendment seeks to ensure that those appointed to the offices have the capacity to handle the demanding nature of leadership within the police service.
According to Kaunya, the bill will ensure that the service retains experienced officers and promotes succession planning.
On his part, the IPOA chairperson, Ahmed Issack Hassan, supported the bill, especially on the inclusion of a clear process for the appointment and removal of the IG and DIG, in line with the recommendations of the "National Task Force on Improvement of Terms and Conditions of Service and Other Reforms for Members of the National Police Service and Kenya Prisons Service, also known as the Maraga Taskforce.
According to Hassan, the appointments of the two should be in line with the two-thirds gender rule provided under Article 27 of the Constitution.
“In Tanzania, the age of retirement for an officer in the rank of the Assistant Superintendent of Police up to the Inspector General is 60 years, while in Uganda, all police officers are required to retire at the age of 55 or after 20 years of continued service. There is, however, no distinct age of retirement for the Deputy Inspector General,” Hassan said.
