- In the changes, Amin named Richard Mwaura as the acting director of operations at the DCI.
- He also moved dozens of senior officers who had stayed in one station for more than three years.
The former boss of the defunct Flying Squad and Special Crimes Prevention Unit Saidi Kiprotich is the new director of the Anti Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU).
Until his appointment to the position, Kiprotich was the director of operations at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters.
He takes over from Johnstone Kola who has retired from the service after attaining the retirement age.
The announcement was made last week by the director of DCI Mohamed Amin.
In the changes, Amin named Richard Mwaura as the acting director of operations at the DCI.
He also moved dozens of senior officers who had stayed in one station for more than three years.
This follows a new directive that all those who had served in a particular station for at least three years be moved for their well-being and better service delivery.
Kiprotich is seen as a seasoned officer having served at various levels in the service.
He once served as the director of operations at Nairobi Regional Command before he was moved to the DCI in the same capacity.
He had also served as the county commander for Taita Taveta and at the defunct Flying Squad and Special Crimes Prevention Unit.
ATPU is one of the elite units in the National Police Service and is mandated to mitigate and investigate terrorism-related cases in the country.
It was formed in 2003 as a unit to investigate all terrorism matters.
This was after several terror attacks were experienced in the country for example US Embassy (1998) and the Kikambala (2002) terror attacks.
And since then, the team has managed to detect and contain dozens of planned terror-related attacks.
For instance, among others, ATPU works with the National Counter-Terrorism Centre to deal with research and radicalisation of the youth to deter them from joining the Somali-based al Shabaab militants.
Multi-agency teams are involved in various operations that have seen them thwart dozens of planned terror attacks.
Officials say terrorism remains a major threat in the country despite ongoing operations to tame the menace.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has pledged that the government will equip security officers with modern equipment to protect them against armed criminals and enable them to protect Kenyans and their property.
He called upon Kenyans to work with the security officers and resist attempts by terror groups to radicalise the youth into violent extremism.
“Terrorism remains a key national security concern and the government will triumph over terror. Parents must remain vigilant and counsel their children to resist radicalization or recruitment into terror groups,” Kindiki added.