I Fired Kinoti- Ruto

President William Ruto has now disclosed that he fired former Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti, contrary to his September 27, 2022 announcement that he had resigned.

Speaking during a joint media interview with journalists from Kenyan mainstream media houses at State House in Nairobi on Wednesday, January 4, the Head of State revealed that he terminated Kinoti from the agency over his supervising of a unit in the DCI accused of extra-judicial killings.

Whilst defending the mandate of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) from criticism by officials including Inspector General of Police (IG) Japhet Koome over police using firearms to protect themselves, Ruto added that he held a terse meeting with the authority and agreed that it would investigate the extra-judicial killings that have even occurred under the noses of previous administrations.

“I had a thorough meeting with IPOA and we have agreed that it is not necessary for us to establish another task force when IPOA is there and it is squarely within their mandate to tell us how Kenyans ended up being killed in this manner and it was business as usual,” he stated.

President William Ruto during a joint interview with local media at State House on January 4, 2022. /KBC

“Thirty bodies in Yala, 17 in Garissa, there was a container here at Nairobi area where people were being slaughtered, in a police station…how did we end up there? What kind of rogue institution was that? And that is why I fired that Kinoti man because it’s not right. There will be responsibility.”

He had tasked IPOA to expand its investigations beyond probing police officers only even as he remained firm on his stance to end extra-judicial killings in the country.

However, he stated that police are at liberty to use their firearms when their lives are in danger.

At the time, while nominating the current Cabinet Secretaries (CS), President Ruto revealed that he had received Kinoti’s resignation and directed the National Police Service (NPS) to proceed with advertising that position which was eventually filled by Amin Mohamed.

Kinoti had been on a collision course with the Kenya Kwanza administration with one of the verbal scuffles coming after the DCI arrested three Venezuelans at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in possession of sensitive election materials ahead of the August 9 polls.

On the matter of high-profile cases being dropped by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji, Ruto absolved himself from the matter, stating that he had “nothing to do with the cases that were dropped by the DPP against DP Gachagua, Aisha Jumwa and Mithika Linturi”.

Another query that he was cornered with is the creation of the Office of the First Daughter by her daughter, Charlene Ruto, stating that even though no such office exists in the Constitution, she is at liberty of being herself.

“Leave my daughter Charlene alone. These are kids, they are just being children. There is no office of the First Daughter. This is a girl who is being herself. She is just being the daughter of William Ruto,” he said.

Charlene Ruto speaking at the YouLead Summit in Arusha, Tanzania on December 13, 2022. /TWITTER.CHARLENE RUTO