MPs summon Kanja over failure to hand over payroll to NPSC

IG Douglas Kanja during a press briefing where Health CS Aden Duale handed 1,188 files and supporting evidence to the DCI. [Wilberforce Okwiri,Standard] Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja is once again in Parliament's crosshairs over his repeated failure to hand over the police payroll to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC). On Tuesday, the National Assembly's Constitutional Implementation and Oversight Committee (CIOC) summoned Kanja to appear on September 16 to answer questions about his continued defiance of the law. The committee, chaired by Caroli Omondi, issued the summons amid reports that Kanja and his two Deputies, Gilbert Masengeli and Eliud Lagat, had been skipping the Commission's meetings, denying it the quorum required to conduct any business. "This committee has resolved to summon the Inspector-General of Police to appear in person on September 16, 2025. This sitting will not be held in camera, as the issues we intend to address are of public interest," said Omondi. Kanja is expected to respond to concerns over the smooth functioning of the commission with MPs saying its operations have been disrupted by lack of quorum when uniformed members fail to attend meetings. "The payroll issue also needs urgent resolution because it is causing anxiety within the police service. We want a motivated police service where officers of lower rank feel valued and appreciated," said the chairperson. The summons to Kanja came on a day he failed to appear before the CIOC committee, which had invited him to give a status report of the payroll handover. Instead, the IG wrote to the chair requesting 21 days to prepare and that he allowed to present his report in-camera. MPs faulted the late notice, accusing him of deliberately avoiding accountability. "There is a deliberate effort by the IG and his fellow uniformed officers to sabotage the police commission's work. He must appear before us and explain why the commission cannot achieve a quorum. The meeting cannot be held in camera because those who elected us deserve to know the truth," said Nambale MP Geoffrey Mulanya. "We take great exception to the Inspector General's failure to appear before this committee, even as conflicts within the commission demand urgent attention," he added. Nominated MP Umi Harun said the purpose of having independent institutions was to allow oversight without conflict. "We just want to invite the IG and let him know we have nothing to hide," she said. Nandi Hills MP Bernard Kitur urged the IG not to fall into "the trap of what had been happening in the past," warning that by frustrating the commission, he had reduced it to a toothless body. "We want to resolve the payroll issue once and for all. Resolving it will boost morale within the police service. Our role is to ensure full implementation of Articles 245 and 246, which spell out the responsibilities of the IG and the commission," he said. In July, MPs ordered Kanja to surrender the police payroll and all human resource functions to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) with immediate effect. "This committee orders you to hand over all payroll and human resource functions to the commission immediately, not in one week. The commission's chief executive officer should also write back to this committee to confirm receipt of the functions. We want the Constitution followed to the letter," said Public Accounts Committee chairperson Tindi Mwale.

MPs summon Kanja over failure to hand over payroll to NPSC

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MPs summon Kanja over failure to hand over payroll to NPSC

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