Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Joseph Kinoti is one of the most recognisable faces in the country, owing to his involvement in high-profile investigations.
Little is known, however, about his Deputy Joseph Ashimala.
For many with insider knowledge of how the crime-busting agency works, Ashimala is an integral cog.
In an interview, he revealed challenges he has faced in his 30-year police career including a helicopter crash.
Ashimala in a narration on the DCI newsletter, stated that he was born and raised in Bunyore, Vihiga County.
He later moved with his civil servant parents to Kapsabet, Nandi County at a young age. Ashimala harboured dreams of becoming a police officer.
Little did he know that he would face one of the most difficult experiences of his life in the town he grew up in.
When he was admitted to the National Police Service (NPS) training campus in Kiganjo, Nyeri County in 1983, Ashimala was elated.
Upon completion of the training, he was posted to Central Police Station in Nairobi.
Ashimala honed his crime-busting skills as a plain clothes police officer in the streets of Nairobi, as he revealed to the DCI newsletter.
The sleuth rose up the ranks and was a commander for the Rift Valley region before being appointed DCI Deputy Director.
It was in 2009 that Ashimala was involved in a helicopter crash in Kapsabet, Nandi County.
Along with the Post election Violence of 2007/2008, Ashimala recounts the crash as one of the most difficult experiences of his life.
"The country was polarised and people erupted like a volcano but I stood firm, was loyal to my duty and my state and we were able to restore peace at the time," stated Ashimala who was Nyanza Deputy Provincial Police Commissioner when the violence broke out.
Reflecting on his experiences with Ashimala, lawyer Cliff Ombeta described the Deputy DCI Director as a gentleman.
"A respectable officer and a gentleman," Ombeta wrote on Tuesday, September 8 while describing the officer.
