National Police Service Commission chairman Johnstone Kavuludi says the officers are among 31 whose results had been withheld due to various issues that needed verification/MIKE KARIUKI
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 20 – Seven senior police officers were on Wednesday sacked after they failed the vetting process.
The officers are of the rank of Senior Superintendent of Police, Assistant Superintendent of Police and Superintendent of Police.
National Police Service Commission chairman Johnstone Kavuludi says the officers are among 31 whose results had been withheld due to various issues that needed verification.
“The officers may request for a review of the decision by the commission in line with vetting regulation 33(1) provided the request is based on the discovery of a new and important matter which was not within the knowledge of, or could not be provided by the officer at the time determination was made,” he said.
The review can also be based on “some mistake or error apparent on the face of the record or any reason that the commission considers just and proper.”
The officers are accused of engaging in criminal activities, corruption, human trafficking, smuggling and forgery of academic certificates.
Other allegations include submission of fake bank statements and M-PESA statements, unprofessional conduct and failure to provide documents or information required by the commission.
“The vetting of this cohort also brought into sharp focus the role of electronic money transfer, especially M-PESA in facilitating corruption,” he pointed out.
“Through a scrutiny of M-PESA statements, the commission was able to establish a worrying trend where junior police officers remitted money to their seniors regularly.”
During the probe of the 31 officers, the commission discovered that most M-PESA kiosks within and around police stations are either owned or contracted by police for purposes of “facilitating direct money transfers in order to cover their tracks.”
The depositors, according to the commission are mostly motorists or junior officers making transfers to their seniors.
Kavuludi says the other 24 whose results had been withheld have been cleared and will continue to serve.
He however cautioned that passing the vetting does not preclude the commission from taking action against the officers where it is established that certain crucial information, “was not available to the commission at the time of making the determination.”
The next cohort to be vetted represents the backbone of policing services in the country.
According to the commission, it includes chief inspectors and inspectors of police both from Kenya Police and Administration Police posts, “the basic units of service delivery and the beginning point of the criminal justice system.”
Others to be vetted include officers of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and traffic police officers.
Kavuludi says the commission is in the process of compiling a list of all these officers who number about 12,000.
Apart from the commission’s website, this list will be available on the NPS AND Mygov.go.ke websites.
The process is being conducted pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution Article 246 and National Police Service Act (2011) Section 7(2) and (3) which stipulate that members of the National Police Service shall undergo vetting to assess their suitability and competence.
The overall objective of the vetting is to build confidence and trust in the National Police Service.
The applicable vetting standards include officers’ satisfaction of entry and training requirements, their professional conduct and discipline, integrity, financial probity, and respect for human rights.
Officers who satisfy the commission with regard to competence and suitability are retained and those who do not will be removed from the service.
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