On Monday, December 30, 2019, after a 5-hour meeting, Director of Criminal Investigation George Kinoti and five other senior officers adopted a resolution for radical changes in the department.
After the meeting, they would emerge and delete a 27-year piece of history by disbanding the dreaded flying squad unit.
A report by The Standard revealed that among the reasons for the disbandment of the squad was rivalry between the DCI headquarters based along Kiambu Road and a newly formed Parkland-based unit.
Formed in July 1992 as the Anti Motor Vehicle Theft Unit, it was an elite force that was used to combat violent crimes in Nairobi and its environs
In the later years, the unit was accused of extrajudicial killings and other acts of lawlessness.
On January 1, 2020, Kinoti would release a statement informing the public of the decision to disband the unit across the country, leaving the DCI headquarters-based squad.
Despite the decision coming in 2020, Kinoti had expressed his dissatisfaction with the way the team was plying its trade.
In an interview with the media when he took over from his predecessor, Ndegwa Muhuro, Kinoti claimed that the unit had become rogue and ineffective.
With this, he would go on to recall some officers based outside Nairobi and redeploying them to different parts of the country, drawing mixed reactions from the public.
According to The Standard Kinoti also had a personal grudge to settle with the unit
The Mombasa Road-based publication claimed that during his time as the police spokesperson and the assistant commissioner of police, Kinoti had a brush with Flying Squad Officers from Meru.
A man whose car had been impounded by the officers sought Kinoti's help to have it released after they demanded money from him. Despite his rank and position in the police, the Meru Flying Squad officers did not budge from their demands.
The newly formed Sting Squad Headquarters (SSH) will be based in Nairobi and operate in areas that often experience armed crimes.
The DCI also scaled down the Special Crime Prevention Unit (SCPU) and renamed it the Special Service Unit (SSU), which will be domiciled at the DCI headquarters in Nairobi.
