Mutilating the constitution begins

National Police Service Amendments Bill 2013 to hand Inspector General Kimaiyo more powers

Updated Sunday, May 26th 2013 at 15:41 GMT +3

By Cyrus Ombati

NAIROBI, KENYA: A number of amendments have been proposed to the National Police Service Act in a bid to make the office of the Inspector General more powerful.

The Office of the President has drafted a new bill- National Police Service Amendments Bill 2013 with a raft of proposals aimed at weakening the National Police Service Commission at large.

A copy of the draft bill seen by The Standardseems to be ready for tabling in the House for discussion once the new Cabinet Secretary for Interior is in office.

For instance the draft proposes to empower the IG to have independent powers to promote, transfer and discipline officers.

It also proposes to ensure it is the IG who receives reports from the Internal Affairs Unit and not the Commission for interdiction or suspension of an officer as indicated in the original Act.

The bill wants to empower the National Security Council instead of the commission to recruit Kenya Police Reserve members.

The proposed bill also wants to introduce a new ranking structure in the service. The new ranks the bill proposes include that of Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police and assistant inspector of police.

On Sunday, Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo said he is aware of the proposed amendments but it is not his office that proposed them.

“These amendments are aimed at ensuring governance benefit all Kenyans. They were proposed by the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC),” said Kimaiyo.