Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i on Friday, March 12, announced an ambitious programme to reform the National Police Service (NPS) and have well-skilled and educated officers lead the security organ.
Matiang'i questioned the low academic entry qualifications into the police service saying they did not match the shrewd emerging methods criminals now used to commit crime.
He further stated that asking applicants to have a minimum of a D plus in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) limited the service’s capacity to deal with the complex science necessary to investigate crime, adding they should increase the cut mark.
“This is why I have been fighting that we look at the cut-off point of the people we are admitting. Surely, if we are admitting you with a D plus then we are telling you to go to the complex science of analyzing blood and preparing a document that the DPP is going to use in court to prove murder, are we serious honestly? Are we serious?” he asked.
The CS was speaking during a graduation ceremony at the Prosecutor Training Institute in Loresho, Nairobi. He further said the NPS would turn to be more professional like doctors and lawyers in order to defuse criminals.
“That is why I am saying there are many things we can do. The time is here for us to face the reality to know that we are facing challenges that we must confront in a serious manner.
We need to start new capacities on law enforcement terrain so that when I give you a file, you will not say we have no competencies," he added.
Addressing DPP Noordin Haji, Matiang’i said Kiganjo Police Training College graduates did not match the intricate criminal activity.
“Let me be frank and I am not besmirching you my brother, the capacities we need are not there because we cannot hope that the constables we have trained in Kiganjo are the ones who are going to deal with the complexities we are discussing to help the DPP deal with a rape case.”
Also present was the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission CEO Twalib Mbarak and Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi.
CCTV footage released on March 7 captured six police officers breaking into a bar in Soweto, Kayole where the owner accused them of stealing Ksh122,000 and other valuables.
Following the incident, police Inspector General Hillary Mutyambai said action would be taken on the officers directing the Internal Affairs Unit to launch investigations.
