Drama as defiant Grace Kaindi forced out of coveted office

Fresh details have emerged about how forces within the police force conspired to oust Grace Kaindi from her post as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) despite numerous attempts to keep her at the helm of the much coveted yet sensitive position.

But defiant Kaindi would not go down easily. By close of business on Thursday, emotions were running high at the Vigilance House. Irked by the continuing embarrassment that the Kaindi succession saga was bringing to his office, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett walked into her office accompanied by the new appointee, General Service Unit Commandant Joel Kitili, hoping to resolve the impasse.

But Kaindi would not budge. Instead, it was the two gentlemen in uniform who walked out, assuring the first woman Deputy Inspector General that they would be back on Friday armed with a dismissal letter from the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).

At around 10p.m., satisfied that none of those pushing her ouster were safely gone, Kaindi left, perhaps convinced she had won the first round. On Thursday evening, officers had been ordered to withdraw an official motorcade and bodyguards assigned to the beleaguered DIG.  

The move was largely seen as an attempt to nip in the bud an embarrassing debacle and prevent the replacement of a state officer from unraveling into yet another PR disaster for a much-tainted police force.

The genesis of the most recent push and pull at Vigilance House was the announcement on Tuesday of a raft of changes within the top echelons of the police service by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Among the changes was the replacement, in acting capacity, of Kaindi by Kitili.

However, Kaindi stayed put and refused to hand over to her successor on the grounds that she was, at the time of this confusion, still the legitimate DIG because she had not received official communication about her change of status from her employer, the NPSC.

Aiming to fulfil responsibilities bestowed on him by the Head of State, Kitili reported to work on Thursday but was forced to spend the better part of the day in an office belonging to Kaindi’s deputy Joseph Ashmala.

As she stayed put indoors, members of her security team had already been co-opted into yet another scheme. The acting director of police operations, Joseph Barmao, ordered Kaindi’s bodyguards and driver to drop her at her Nairobi home as usual and return the car keys to the chief transport officer.

“They were then informed to leave immediately and not to report to work. They took both her official and escort car to Vigilance House and parked them there before leaving,” said a source not authorised to speak to the press.

Contacted over the Thursday visit to Kaindi’s office, Boinett said Vigilance House was “an open place”, implying that he is at liberty to walk in and out at will.

Yesterday, no official cars turned up at her residence to take her to work.

“She could not come using unofficial cars because that would expose her. It seems she gave up after knowing things were bad,” said the source.

Vehicles designated to the reassigned deputy IG were seen at the parking lot.

The Standard on Saturday yesterday reached out to Kaindi for comment on the ongoing saga.

“I am in a short meeting. I will talk to you later please,” Kaindi said.

But as she proceeded with the meeting, her successor was getting cozy in his new office.

“They brought in a new secretary for him but he is coping well,” an officer who requested anonymity said, adding that Kitili spent Friday meeting with colleagues and getting new passwords for the computers in his office.

Ms Kaindi was removed by President Kenyatta and appointed an ambassador but the country she was assigned to has not been disclosed.

But Kaindi’s removal from office has been criticised as unprocedural and unlawful. Those close to her say she was being removed because she refused to be complicit in corrupt multi-billion shilling tenders for police equipment.

The tenders include the purchase of police choppers, bullet proof vests, uniforms and guns amounting to more than Sh12 billion. Operatives wanted her to sanction the purchase but she apparently demanded that the law be followed. This is what, it is claimed, led to her removal.

Those on her side say the claim that she had reached retirement age was a fallacy since the commission had given her a go- ahead to stay in office until 2018 when her term as a state officer was to end.

Meanwhile, the High Court yesterday declined to revoke President Kenyatta’s decision to retire Kaindi.
Justice Monica Mbaru of the Employment and Labour Relations court instead directed Attorney General Githu Muigai and the NPSC to file their response to the application seeking to have Kaindi reinstated within three days. “The judicial review sought by the applicant seeks to challenge a decision which has already been made. It will be prudent that the court first addresses the preliminary objection raised by the respondents and then issue further directions,” Justice Mbaru said.

The judge directed that the matter be heard on September 14.

The AG opposed the application by human rights activist Zachary Onsongo seeking to quash the President’s decision to retire and deploy Ms Kaindi.

The AG, through Senior State Counsel Emmanual Bitta, told the court that DIG has no contractual relationship with the applicant which warrants the court’s intervention in revoking the President’s decision.

Additional reporting by Fred Makana