- The commission maintained that it is still open to talks with NPS
- Senate committee will invite the IG to give his account.
Image: FILE
Mediation talks between the National Police Service Commission and the National Police Service to resolve a row over the promotion of 514 officers has collapsed, it has emerged.
NPSC chair Eliud Kinuthia told senators on Tuesday a move to resolve the standoff out of court had “hit a dead end.”
Appearing before the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, Kinuthia said Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome had shown reluctance to resolve the matter but maintained the commission was still open to talks.
“Mediation has collapsed. The other side did not want to cooperate with us,” he stated.
The matter now appears to be headed back to the court following the deadlock.
Committee chair William Cheptumo chair said the committee will invite the IG to give his account.
The Labour Court had ordered the commission to immediately convene a meeting of all parties in the case to amicably consider resolving the dispute.
Justice Byram Ongaya issued the orders on June 22, 2023, following a suit filed by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, who argued that Koome usurped the role of the commission in promoting the officers.
Cheptumo said the row is a setback for the service since Kenyans envision a situation where the IG and the commission read from the same page.
“You cannot be talking about different things yet both of you serve the same government, the same people and the same country. We want to be counted as the people who brought this animosity to an end,” he stated.
Kinuthia said the conflict can be avoided if each party sticks to its mandate.
“We have our various mandates and the rules to follow. When one side does not follow the rule, you can expect such conflict,” he stated.
He revealed that during mediation, the commission asked NPS to first provide a list of those it recommends for promotions and the vacancies available and then invite all interested officers to apply.
“We created a leeway for NPS to win on this matter but they did not want to cooperate,” he stated.
He added:
“Promotions need to be proposed to us. It is the ideal process. We then advertise so that we do not violate fairness and equal opportunity.”
The suit by Omtatah arose from Koome's announcement that he had promoted the officers with immediate effect.
NPSC moved and denounced the IG's action, saying they were unlawful and un-procedural as the IG has no such authority in law.
"That pending the inter-partes hearing of the application or further orders by the court, interim orders are hereby given staying the implementation of promotions affecting 514 police officers said to have been unilaterally effected on June 5, 2023, in the National Police Service," Justice Ongaya ordered.
The promotions saw General Service Unit Commandant Eliud Lagat, Deputy Director of DCI Nicholas Kamwende and head of Investigations at DCI Abdallah Komesha promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police.