Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja are set to lead delegations to New York and London next week for a benchmarking mission prior to establishing a Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit.
“Next week, we will have a delegation to New York and also to London, led by CS Murkomen and myself,” Sakaja stated during an interview with Hot96 on Wednesday evening.
Sakaja mentioned that the government has engaged in discussions with the New York Police Department and the city’s mayor, London’s Metropolitan Police and its mayor, as well as officials in Rome.
The unit is projected to be operational by July, though Sakaja indicated that President William Ruto had set this timeline.
“The president wanted it by July. I am uncertain if we will meet that deadline, but we are making every effort to implement it as soon as possible,” he added.
Sakaja described how the unit would function, explaining that it would be constitutionally accountable to the interior secretary while the county government would handle its daily operations.
“Similar to New York, where it falls under the mayor. For daily deployment and strategic measures, it will serve the city,” he explained.
The proposed structure may raise concerns about how a county-managed unit aligns with Kenya’s constitutional framework, which designates policing as a national function.
Following a high-level meeting regarding the unit’s creation, foundational aspects of the new structure were discussed, including the administrative framework, service standing orders, and standard operating procedures that will govern the unit once it becomes active.
Sakaja stated that the unit would consist mainly of young officers and would be primarily based on modern policing methods, utilizing cameras for crime detection and a board that would incorporate residents’ associations.
“We require visible patrols. Approximately every 50 meters, there should be a metropolitan police officer. We intend to have patrol vehicles and a distinct management approach different from the national police service,” he emphasized.
Officers will be mandated to wear body cameras, which Sakaja noted would be acquired by the national government with financial input from the county. “To avoid incidents, body cameras will be compulsory for all officers,” he concluded.