Former Deputy DCI Gideon Kimilu appointed head of Interpol Nairobi Regional Bureau

As head of Interpol Nairobi Regional Bureau, Gideon Kimilu will be stationed at DCI headquarters in Nairobi. (Photo: Mbugua Kibera/Standard)

Former deputy Director of Criminal Investigations Gideon Kimilu has been appointed the head of Interpol Nairobi Regional Bureau.

Kimilu will be in charge of countries in the Eastern Africa region where he will manage major operations against crimes. The countries include Burundi, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Seychelles, Republic of Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda.

He will be stationed at DCI headquarters in Nairobi. Officials said Kimilu was released to Interpol by Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet after he was interviewed and emerged top.

Interpol, which has 190 members, is an intergovernmental organization facilitating international police cooperation and deals with drugs and organized crimes, financial and high-tech crimes, motor vehicle crimes, public safety and terrorism, environmental and maritime piracy.

Meanwhile, former traffic commandant Charlton Muriithi has been appointed as the head of Internal Affairs Unit (IAU). Muriithi takes over from Leo Nyongesa who retired from the service after attaining the mandatory age. Former head of DCI’s criminal registry Patrick Ndunda was also moved back to DCI headquarters for redeployment.

The three officers had on September 2015 been unceremoniously removed from their positions and posted to the Office of the President. They were not allocated any duties and there were claims they were targeted because of perceptions in the service.

IAU is one of the major units of the Kenya Police and is headed by a director.

Others include Anti-Stock Theft, Tourist Police, Railway Police, Presidential Escort, Marine Police, Kenya Airports Police, Dog Unit, General Service Unit, Diplomatic Police, Kenya Police Airwing, Kenya Police Staff Training College and Kenya Police Traffic department.

IAU was established under section 87 of the National Police Service Act 2011 to provide for an internal mechanism to receive and investigate complaints against police by the public and police against police officers.

The Unit is envisaged to promote professionalism, uniform standards of discipline and good order in the Service and keep a record of complaints made and conduct subsequent investigations.

It initiates such investigation on its own, or at the direction of the IG, or at the request of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), and may recommend a range of disciplinary actions to be taken against errant officers to the Inspector General and/or to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).

To carry out these roles, IAU needs to deploy officers at various levels and build relevant capacity as well as devolve the services to every county and preferably to Police Stations.