NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 17— Kenya’s security leadership has launched a fresh push to strengthen discipline, legality and coordination within frontline policing.
The move comes as senior commanders of the National Government Administration Police Unit (NGAPU) began a sensitisation programme aimed at tightening operational standards amid evolving security challenges.
Deputy Inspector General of the Administration Police Service (APS), Gilbert Masengeli, on Tuesday officially opened the first cohort of the NGAPU Commanders’ Sensitisation Workshop at the National Police College, Embakasi ‘A’ Campus.
The programme brings together NGAPU commanders drawn from Nairobi, Eastern, Central and Rift Valley regions, reflecting what police leaders say is a deliberate effort to professionalise a unit that operates at the delicate junction of law enforcement and national government administration.
Addressing the commanders, Masengeli said NGAPU officers must demonstrate a high level of operational competence, legal awareness and strict adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), warning that lapses at command level often have far-reaching consequences for public trust and security outcomes.
“NGAPU commanders operate at a critical intersection between policing and national administration,” he said.
The sensitisation programme focuses on reinforcing lawful and coordinated policing, with sessions covering legal and policy frameworks, command and control structures, coordination with National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs), human rights compliance, conflict management and community engagement.
Officials say the training is intended to reduce operational friction, prevent abuse of authority and enhance cooperation between security agencies and civil administrators at the grassroots.
NGAPU is a specialised unit within the Administration Police Service tasked with supporting NGAOs — including chiefs and assistant chiefs — in the execution of lawful duties, particularly in security operations, enforcement of government directives and public order management.
The launch was attended by senior government and police officials, underlining the strategic importance attached to the unit.
Among those present were National Administration Secretary Moses Lilan; Commandant of the National Police College, Embakasi ‘A’ Campus, Isaac Alimaa; Director of Security Operations Jackson Kangani; Director of Personnel at APS Hesbon Lusweti; NGAPU Commandant Charles Mutuma; Senior Assistant Secretary at the State Department for Internal Security Fredrick Omondi; and Under Secretary Stanley Mutua.
