IG nominee Kanja promises to utilise technology in fighting crime

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 a joint sitting and the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, and Defence & Foreign Relations at County Hall, Nairobi on August 15, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

When he appeared before the vetting panel, Inspector General nominee Douglas Kanja was bombarded with questions on challenges bedeviling the police service.

Now a heartbeat away from becoming the substantive IG, Kanja hopes to deliver where his predecessors failed.

“I am highly experienced and exposed in many areas. You will be getting a highly experienced Inspector General who will protect you day and night,” Kanja said on Thursday during the grilling by the joint National Assembly and Senate Committee on Administration, Internal Security and Defence and Foreign Relations.

The committee will this morning re-convene to make its recommendations on whether to approve or reject the nominee. If approved, Kanja is likely to be appointed by President William Ruto in the course of the week.

Among the immediate and pressing challenges that will confront him include perennial banditry and cattle rustling in the North Rift, return of extra-judicial killings, rampant corruption and conflict of interest among police officers.

The country will also keenly watch how Kanja will deal with the problem of porous borders, road accidents, elusive police reforms, human trafficking, illicit brews and drug menace, failed community policing and a strained police-public relations.

Most of these challenges persist despite allocation of billions to the National Police Service (NPS), which comprises Kenya Police Service, General Service Unit, Administration Police Service, Directorate of Criminal Investigations and Internal Affairs Unit.

According to parliamentary records, NPS during the Financial Year 2020/2021 was allocated Sh96.6 billion, 2021/2022 Sh100.1 billion and Sh105.4 billion in 2022/23 FY.

The actual expenditure over the same period was Sh96.3 billion, Sh99.2 billion and Sh104.9 billion respectively. This translated to absorption rates of 99.7 per cent in the FY2020/21, 99.1 per cent in the FY2021/22 and 99.5 per cent in the FY 2022/23.

“Despite the achievements, NPS faced various challenges which included budgetary constraint, human resource gaps, cross border conflicts and regional instability, human trafficking, political intolerance and negative ethnicity,” reads the 2024/2025 Programmed Based Budget report released in April.

And when he appeared before the committee co-chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo and Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, members pressed Kanja to demonstrate how he would tackle the challenges.

Kanja promised to push for more funding besides strengthening police communication team, which he appeared to blame for the lackluster dissemination of critical information to the public, hence creating room for speculations.

According to Kanja, the NPS gets a drop of its budget requests. “We face serious budget constraints, our allocation is a third of what we request. If approved and appointed, I will push for additional funding,” said Kanja while responding to Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu’s question on whether police where effectively delivering in the face of austerity measures introduced last year.

Due to the austerity measures, the IG nominee said the Service is at the moment prioritising on key areas of training, operations and maintenance of available equipment.

For the last three years, NPS has been unable to recruit officers further hampering deployment and promotions.

In the rejected 2024/2025 Finance Bill, the Service had request Sh5 billion for recruitment of over 10,000 officers not only to replace those who have left through natural attrition but also to boost the police to population ratio. The Budget and Appropriation Committee had allocated Sh3.2 billion for the recruitment.

Having served in the Service for 39 years, Kanja told the committee that he was well versed, and that he had identified training as the key area that can uplift overall performance in overcoming some of the challenges that have not only dented police image but hindered effective delivery of services.

“Training is critical because once trained, an officer is able to serve from a position of knowledge. I have been emphasizing on training, which I strongly believe can have an impact on the Service,” Kanja told the committee.

A General Service Unit (GSU) recruit who joined in 1985, Kanja rose through the ranks to head the unit in 2018 before being appointed Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in charge of Kenya Police Service on April 17, 2023. He served for a brief stint as acting IG before stepping aside after Ruto nominated him for the position.

The nominee was put to task to explain the measures he will put in place to deal with perennial cattle rustling and banditry problem in the North Rift.

“You have told this committee that after graduating, you were posted to the North Rift where you came firsthand with cattle rustling, and that 39 years later the problem persists. Can you tell this committee what you intend to do, to reduce cases of cattle rustling and banditry in the North Rift?” asked Mt. Elgon MP Fred Kapondi.

Kanja pledged to invest in technology. He said he would consider having animals inserted with electronic tracing chips as well as enlightening communities about the retrogressive nature of cattle rustling.

“Cattle rustling has been commercialised. Once stolen, recovering the animals is quite a difficult task. Apart from the ongoing multi-agency approach, we need to leverage on technology such that when the animals are stolen, we can be able to trace them,” he explained.

He promised to engage communities in order to have a better understanding of their views on security.

“I intend to wok closely with the locals because they have a solution to the menace, equally, there shall be serious air and land deployment,” added the 60-year-old nominee who linked the problem to instability in surrounding countries from where firearms are easily acquired.

A holder of Bachelor of Commerce (finance option) with a diploma in security and another diploma in management, Kanja denied that police engaged in extra-judicial killings while quelling anti-government protests.

He pledged to uphold Article 37 of the Constitution, which is clear on the right to assembly, demonstrate, picket and petition.

“If approved and appointed, I will ensure the Services operate within the framework of the law so that everybody enjoys their rights,” said Kanja while responding to Kisumu Woman Rep Rosa Buyu who asked why anti-riot police used excessive force on protesters.

On conflict of interest, the IG nominee said many officers are operating bars and matatus and that if appointed, he will ask those involved to choose between service or businesses.

“Conflict of interest is a serious problem just like corruption, which we need to initiate a serious national discourse starting at the family level all the way to churches and mosques since police are part of society where the vice is deeply entrenched,” Kanja said.

While acknowledging that the much hyped surveillance and security system launched about nine years ago had failed to give taxpayers value for their money, the IG nominee promised to deploy CCTV cameras while leveraging on technology to curb road carnage that has so far claimed 2,407 lives this year since January to July 1, according to latest data from National Transport and Safety Authority.

On November 25, 2014, ministry of Interior then under CS Joseph Ole Lenku signed a Sh14.9 billion agreement with Safaricom entailing roll out of the National Surveillance, Communication and Control System for Nairobi and Mombasa.

In the deal, the mobile services provider was to set up the surveillance and security system comprising 1,500 CCTV cameras in Nairobi and 300 cameras in Mombasa to provide real-time footage to the National Police Operations Centre domiciled at Jogoo House.

On completion, the system was to be operated by police under the expertise of a core team officer assisted by communications experts. Police insiders say the project flopped since most of the cameras are dysfunctional.

“The CCTV project was a noble idea to enhance ability to control and tame crime. I will find out why the system  based at Jogoo House in partnership with Safaricom seems to have collapsed. The third eye is key in managing crime,” stated Kanja.

Sotik MP Francis Sigei lauded the nominee in the way he conducted himself soon after being appointed acting IG saying there had been communication lapses before he took over.

“It was a sigh of relief when you made your fisrt public address that was assuring in the wake of the violent demonstrations; I must comment you for that and that is why you need a strong communication team,” said Sigei.

If appointed, Kanja will adopt mobile road blocks to contain reckless driving and unnecessary accidents he will encourage intelligence-led policing to curb human and drugs trafficking.