NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 1 — President William Ruto is set to preside over the graduation of 1,837 Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs on Monday, marking another milestone in the government’s public administration and security reform agenda.
In a statement released on Sunday evening, the Ministry of Interior and National Administration announced that the ceremony will take place at the National Police College, Embakasi ‘A’ Campus, starting at 8:30 a.m.
According to the ministry, the officers have completed Induction, Paralegal, and Security Management training, aimed at strengthening administrative leadership and enhancing service delivery at the grassroots level.
“The President Dr. William Samoei Ruto, C.G.H., will tomorrow [Monday], preside over the graduation of 1,837 Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs who have completed Induction, Paralegal, and Security Management training at the National Police College, Embakasi ‘A’ Campus, Nairobi,” the ministry said.
This is the third cohort to complete the revamped training programme, bringing the total number of Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs trained since August 2025 to 5,892.
The graduation is part of the administration’s push to professionalize the national government administrative officers (NGAOs), deepen their legal and security competencies, and reinforce local governance systems.
President Ruto is expected to be accompanied by senior government officials, including the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, Kipchumba Murkomen.
On September this year, CS Murkomen announced plans to arm chiefs in Kenya’s border regions and other high-risk frontier after undertaking security vetting, training, and standard licensing procedures.
Speaking in Mandera Murkomen said the decision responds to escalating threats against local administrators, including abductions, banditry, Al-Shabaab attacks, and clan violence.
The move, he added, also follows direct requests from chiefs during recent security forums.
He revealed that some chiefs in the Kerio Valley have already been licensed and armed to protect themselves from banditry.
“The chiefs already told us in the security forum that they would like to also be registered and have the right to carry a firearm that will be official,” Murkomen said.
“That policy of giving a firearm to a chief who needs to protect his life I announced a long time ago.”
Murkomen stressed the measure would not be applied universally or publicized.
He warned that publicly naming chiefs who receive firearms would endanger them, adding that issuance will strictly follow formal processes led by security agencies and the Firearm Licensing Board.
