-
President William Ruto on July 25 nominated Kanja as the new Inspector General of Police.
-
Kanja was initially appointed acting IG after the resignation of Japhet Koome and later nominated to the position.
Image: FILE
Former Deputy Inspector General of Kenya Police Douglas Kanja will know his fate next week when the MPs will debate and vote on whether to approve his nomination as the next Inspector General of Police.
The National Assembly resumes business on Tuesday, September 17, and top of the agenda is the motion on the appointment of Kanja as the IGP.
This would be the last stage of the approval process after Senators unanimously approved Kanja’s nomination to become the next top cop.
Kanja, the career policeman who started from the bottom, is a step away from the top after securing the Senate green light to issue supreme commands to Kenya’s police service.
The joint committee of National Assembly Administration and Internal Security and Senate Internal Security, Defence and Foreign Relations earlier vetted and approved Kanja.
Baringo Senator William Cheptumo who chairs the Senate Internal Security and Defence Committee moved the motion, which was unanimously endorsed by Senators on August 20.
By then, Parliament had gone on recess.
President William Ruto on July 25 nominated Kanja as the new Inspector General of Police.
Kanja was initially appointed acting IG after the resignation of Japhet Koome and later nominated to the position.
This forced him to leave the position to Deputy Inspector General of Administration Police Gilbert Masengeli who has since then been the acting IGP.
If approved by Parliament, Kanja will succeed Koome and be the fifth IGP since the enactment of the 2010 Constitution.
Kanja brings a wealth of experience to the table, with a distinguished career spanning nearly four decades. Beginning his journey in law enforcement in 1985, Kanja has steadily risen through the ranks.
Prior to his appointment, Kanja, 60, served as the commandant of the General Service Unit since 2018.
He was appointed DIG KPS in April 2023.
Kanja’s in tray is full and he is expected to hit the ground running.
There is an air of hope among the police officers regarding the proposals contained in a report by the National Taskforce on Improvement of Terms and Conditions of Service and other Reforms for Members of the National Police Service, National Youth Service and Kenya Prisons Service.
While serving as the acting IGP, Kanja had sent an internal memo to police asking them to embrace the proposed reforms.
The ambitious reforms are expected to address the welfare of police officers.
They are anchored on three services, oversight and accountability, institutional capacity development and human resource management and development, as well as operational preparedness and logistical capability.
Kanja previously held the position of Deputy Commandant of the GSU for three years and was the County Police Commander in charge of Kilifi County.
He has also served as Deputy Commandant of the Kenya Airports Police Unit, Chief Armourer at the Police Headquarters and Deputy Chief Armourer at the Kenya Police Service Headquarters, among other high-level positions within the ranks of the National Police Service.
The IG nominee has undertaken extensive security-related training at home and abroad.
A career police officer who has served for a cumulative period of thirty-nine years, Kanja began his career as a recruit Police Constable in 1985.
He was then promoted to Police Corporal, Acting Inspector of Police, Inspector of Police (IP), Chief Inspector of Police, Acting Superintendent of Police, Superintendent of Police, Senior Superintendent of Police, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, Commissioner of Police, Assistant Inspector General and Senior Assistant Inspector General.