Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has disclosed comprehensive information about the upcoming Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit (NMPU), marking a significant advancement in Kenya’s policing approach.
During a press conference in Nakuru, Murkomen unveiled details about the novel police unit, which will be established through collaboration between the Nairobi County Government and the National Government, serving as a model for implementation in Kenya’s other major cities including Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Nakuru, as well as developing urban regions nationwide.
“Our initiatives in Nairobi will serve as the blueprint that we will implement across the remaining four cities nationwide and other developing urban centers,” Murkomen explained.
He emphasized that this model is based on a thorough comparative study of policing system transformations in major global cities, leveraging established best practices and research findings to shape the strategy.
Murkomen additionally announced intentions to involve Nairobi’s business sector in the new police unit, with arrangements for additional CCTV installations in commercial hubs and residential neighborhoods.
“We aim to ensure their CCTV systems are compatible with police systems to facilitate quicker investigations,” Murkomen stated.
This connectivity, he highlighted, would enable more rapid and efficient evidence assembly by officers when incidents arise anywhere throughout the extensive business zones of the city.
In addition to private surveillance devices, authorities are modernizing Nairobi’s complete monitoring infrastructure, transitioning it from NC3 to NC4 to substantially increase the system’s analytical capabilities and data management capacity.
He further mentioned that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be a fundamental component of the enhanced system, assisting police in identifying crime patterns across different neighborhoods and enabling a more sophisticated, evidence-based approach to intervention.
Murkomen acknowledged that the security challenges faced by urban law enforcement personnel are distinctive and necessitate a focused, specialized response.
Following successful testing and implementation in Nairobi, Murkomen indicated that this model would be extended to Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Eldoret, with gradual adoption in other growing urban centers.
According to Murkomen, during the formal signing of a Cooperation Agreement between the Nairobi County Government and the national government at a significant official event.
President William Ruto, who oversaw the agreement signing, assigned Murkomen a 60-day timeframe to formulate and deliver a complete operational structure for the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit.
The President referenced the ongoing Nairobi River restoration initiative as proof that county-national cooperation yields positive outcomes, highlighting that it has already generated employment opportunities for more than 45,000 young people in Nairobi.
Ruto also invited Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja to accompany him on a tour of ongoing development projects throughout the county, indicating that this collaborative relationship continues to strengthen.