The government through Final Supplementary Order Paper tabled before Parliament on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, ordered the National Security Council (NSC) to rescind a directive concerning police choppers issued by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In December 2020, Uhuru ordered the Kenya Air Force, under its National Air Support Department (NASD), to take over the management of police choppers
The recent order paper, however, gave NSC an ultimatum to rescind the order in a period of three months.
“The NSC should review the policy of centralising air services for security agencies under the Kenya Defence Forces and works towards returning the police air wing back to the National Police Service,” read the resolutions contained in the Supplementary Order Paper.
Apart from returning police airwing to the NPS, the NSC was also directed to transfer the corresponding funding in order to make the air wing more effective.
“This should be undertaken before June 30, 2023,” the Order Paper read in part.
The ultimatum was made two months after President William Ruto was pressured to rescind the directive.
This was after the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) informed the former Chief Justice David Maraga-led taskforce that they were not receiving enough services since the choppers and planes were transferred to the military.
“Return the Police Air Equipment and the procurement and maintenance budget to the National Police Service," Police bosses urged the President.
The police department further lamented that over 50 trained police pilots had been rendered jobless through the directive.
In the December 2020 directive, aircraft owned by the Kenya Police, the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Kenya Forest Service, Kenya Power, Kenya Pipeline and Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited were transferred to be managed by Kenya Defence Forces.
At the time, the move was described as aimed at managing procurement and maintenance aspects.
