1000 Nairobi City County inspectorate officers are expected to receive a four-month training from National Police Service (NPS).
Their training is set to begin in June 2021 at the Kiganjo Police Training College and the Administration Police Training College in Embakasi.
The county officers who have been on the spot for using excessive force will be taught on handling offenders with dignity.
Nairobi Metropolitan Services Director of Enforcement Services, Mark Leleruk asserted that the officers' discipline and professionalism will be revisited in the training programme.
The training aims to improve public perception of the county officers, popularly known as ‘kanjo’, who have been referred to as brutal and inhumane for the longest time.
“We want to introduce a new culture of integrity and professionalism with career and development courses for corporals and sergeants,” Leleruk reiterated.
Traffic marshals and enforcement services personnel will also be trained in the programme.
The retrained officers will then be deployed to the city to sweep away parking boys, drug peddlers, and hawkers from Nairobi's streets. Public toilets taken over by individuals will also be reclaimed.
Nairobi County askaris will also be equipped with new uniforms and high-frequency communication gadgets to coordinate operations
“The better equipped uniformed enforcement officers are expected to make the city safe,” the Director stated.
Leleruk is adamant that he will deliver the change required despite facing resistance from personnel and politicians.
In March 2021, 240 county inspectorate officers from Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale were trained by Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) on extremism handling and counter-terrorism and radicalization.
These officers were trained how to identify and obtain information on the ground that could be important to intelligence officers.
