IG nominee says paralysed force led to a breach of Parliament

Douglas Kanja Kirocho, nominee for appointment to the position of Inspector-General of the National Police Service during the vetting process before the National Assembly Committee on Administration & Internal Security on August 15, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The police were unable to stop the breach of Parliament on July 25 this year because they were incapacitated, Inspector General of Police nominee Douglas Kanja yesterday revealed.

The infamous invasion of Parliament by protestors, the contested police deployment to Haiti, the incessant banditry and cattle rustling in the North Rift as well as the extra-judicial killings during the Gen Z protests confronted Kanja on his big day of vetting.

Kanja, who was appearing before the Joint National Assembly and Senate Committee on Administration, Internal Security and Defence and Foreign Relations for vetting, disclosed that the police force was overwhelmed and resources overstretched by the protests that rocked the country on the day that Parliament fell.

Warding off claims of incompetence and laxity from the police service on the fateful day, Kanja, who served as the Deputy Inspector General then, submitted that the multitude of numbers that thronged the capital made it difficult for his personnel to adequately deal with the situation. 

"We were fully prepared (for the protests) despite the fact that the multitude of people that turned up was huge...Areas such as the Globe roundabout were blocked, Thika road was also blocked and equipment such as fire engines could not pass. We needed clearance even for fire engines to pass," said Kanja.

He was responding to a query by committee chair Gabriel Tongoyo (Narok West MP) who sought to understand the effectiveness of the police reaction during the breach of the August House.

"On the July 25th issue, how comes that a breach happened in Parliament yet the police lacked equipment even to put out the fire? Was this a case of laxity?" Tongoyo posed.

His was a supplementary question to Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu who sought to know why the police could not have stopped the invasion of the critical infrastructure and whether the police followed the law in dealing with the protests.

And in what came in the form of a quick-fire cross-examination, Senator Tom Ojienda took the cue.

“When the demonstrations took place, do you think the police handled it well?” he asked.

To which Kanja responded, “I believe we handled it well, that is why we are seated here today.”

“Were you pleased by the invasion? How differently would you have handled it or any other arising from the Gen Z protests?” pressed Ojienda.

Kanja replied, “No I was not.”

He further pledged to do everything possible to protect critical government infrastructure if appointed Inspector General.

“This is an area that we cannot afford to take lightly. I will do whatever it takes to ensure this Parliament is secured," added the IG nominee.

The House team also held Kanja’s feet to fire over the deaths witnessed from the anti-government protests sparked by the controversial Finance Bill 2024.

“You were the Deputy Inspector General when more than 70 Kenyans were killed during the protests, you were also the Deputy Inspector General when bodies were recovered and dumped from Kware slums, Kenyans are asking why you should be elevated to the Inspector General,” posed Homa bay Town MP Peter Kaluma.

The legislator further questioned Kanja’s academic journey, questioning his degree acquired at Inorero University, which he said had since shut down operations.

The House team also heard that the IG nominee is banking on leveraging technology to deal with the scourge that is banditry and cattle rustling in the North Rift region.

Kanja submitted that he would support the deployment of tracking units with georeferencing capabilities to police to monitor livestock herds and intercept those found outside assigned jurisdictions.

Once approved, he vowed to hasten the recruitment and arming of National Police Reservists, noting that the current shortage has curtailed progress in ending insecurity.