President William Ruto on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 13, swung into action by trimming powers from the Office of the President and empowering the Inspector General (IG) of Police.
In his first address as Head of State, Ruto noted that he had directed instruments conferring the financial powers to IG.
Once implemented, the Police IG's office, which is occupied by IG Hillary Mutyambai, will be the official accounting officer of the National Police Service (NPS).
The announcement effectively transfers the powers which had been under the Office of the President, previously headed by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.
"As I address you, I have instructed that instruments conferring financial autonomy to the National Police Service by transferring their budget from the Office of the President and designating the Inspector General as the accounting officer to be placed on my desk by this afternoon," announced the DP.
Currently, NPS is under the control of the police IG who is appointed by the Head of State and approved by Parliament.
During the campaign period, Ruto lamented that the National Police Service was being used to propagate political issues and settle scores.
“We expect the Inspector General of Police to provide leadership that will ensure we have a professional and independent police service that does not bend to political interests and partisan considerations.
“The biggest threat to democracy is when police become partisan or respond to certain political interests while ignoring others,” Ruto then stated in March 2021.
In his manifesto, he had promised to strengthen the police service by appointing an Ombudsman to focus on human rights violations of youth, in particular with abuses of urban youth and police misconduct.
He also vowed to strengthen the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) as well as the National Public Service Commission (NPSC).
Ruto's new directive is also expected to solve NPS's financial woes and facilitate internal job promotions within the service.
