Douglas Kanja: Former GSU Boss Appointed New Deputy Police IG

Former commandant of the General Service Unit (GSU), Douglas Kanja Kirocho, has been appointed the new Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service by President William Ruto.

According to a Gazette notice dated Wednesday, April 12, Kirocho will take over the position immediately.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Article 245 (3) of the Constitution, as read with section 13 of the National Police Service Act, 2011, 1, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, appoints Douglas Kanja Kirocho to be the Deputy Inspector-General of the Kenya Police Service, with effect from the 12th April 2023,” read the gazette notice.

Kirocho was on a shortlist of 12 candidates for the position of the Deputy IG, which included Former Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso.

Shioso was appointed as the Director General of the Kenya Coast Guard Service and will serve for a period of four years.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 17 (I) of the Kenya Coast Guard Service Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, appoint Bruno Isohi Shiosho to be the Director-General of the Kenya Coast Guard Service, for a period of four (4) years, with effect from the 12th April 2023,” the gazette notice read.

Also appointed include Gideon Munga Nyale as the Kiganjo Police Training Institute commandant, Eliud Lagat as the GSU commandant and Ranson Lolmodoni to serve as the director of operations.

The position attracted over 30 police officers as interested applicants. Those shortlisted were required to have a bachelor's degree, be a Kenyan citizen who must have served in the police service for at least 15 years and be of the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police.

The Deputy IG of Police is a powerful office which controls almost 70,000 personnel of the more than 100,000 officers under NPS.

The other personnel are in the Administration Police Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The DIG KPS is in charge of all eight regional police commanders, 47 county commanders, formation commanders, Sub County Commanders, Officer Commanding Station (OCS) and all uniformed officers.

He also controls the General Service Unit (GSU), Traffic Department and Kenya Police College in Kiganjo.

Kirocho thus replaces Edward Mbugua who retired after attaining the mandatory retirement age.

Abdalla Komesha replaced Mbugua in an acting capacity as the recruitment process for the new DIG took place. He also applied for the position and made it to the shortlist.

More to follow...