Inspector General of Police nominee Japhet Koome will on Tuesday, November 8, appear before a joint vetting panel of Senate and the National Assembly.
Should Koome sail through, he will succeed former IG Hillary Mutayambai who opted for terminal leave due to ill health. Until his nomination, Koome was the Commandant of the National Police Service College, Kiganjo.
His record as Nairobi Police Commandant will no doubt be a thorny issue during the grilling, and the ghosts of the past could haunt him.
Key among the matters expected to be raised are human rights violations by police officers, particularly enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, some of which occurred during Koome’s term.
His stance then against National Super Alliance (NASA) protests will also be an area of interest. He accused NASA supporters of planning to cause fear and economic sabotage.
"If you are thinking you will move around the CBD causing trouble, I will be there with enough officers to deal with you. That person who has mind and intention to cause fear, economic sabotage - that will not happen," he stated then.
The NASA coalition had invited its supporters to a major rally at the Kamukunji Grounds in Kamukunji Constituency
Koome would later face an uphill task explaining about videos of Mungiki attacks in Nairobi's Mathare, Lucky Summer and Dandora.
He dismissed the report claiming that the videos, texts, pictures and Facebook live posts were fabricated to cause panic and incite Kenyans.
The cop maintained that police were in pursuit of a banker suspected to have circulated the videos alleging the presence of armed members of the outlawed Mungiki sect dressed in police uniforms.
“The only people who were on patrol at night were police and since we have heightened security in all estates in the city, we had very few incidents of crime. The city was actually very peaceful,” Koome affirmed.
The death of nine-year-old Stephanie Moraa said to have been shot by police during his tenure could also haunt him.
Koome is set to rise to the helm of the police service, at a time when President Ruto is implementing sweeping reforms.
Following a spate of disappearances, Ruto disbanded the Special Services Unit, SSU, and some of its members arraigned in court.
She was playing on the balcony of their house when she was hit in the chest by a stray bullet.
Koome had termed the killing of the girl as unfortunate and added that the child was struck by a bullet during an exchange of fire between the police and an armed gunman in the area.
The nominee will appear before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs and the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defense, and Foreign Affairs at Parliament Buildings.
The National Assembly Internal Affairs committee is chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Togoyo while Baringo Senator William Cheptumo chairs the Senate Security committee.
Koome will be faced with submissions from members of the public as the joint team considers his suitability for the critical security docket.
