'Nation' stands by end of DCI boss' tenure story despite IG denial
Multiple sources in the National Police Service and other government institutions confirmed that DCI Mohammed Amin's contract ends on April 1.
The Nation has defended its headline story published on April 1, despite denials by Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja that the tenure of Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohammed Amin ended on Wednesday.
The Nation published the story, titled “Tenure ends for DCI boss haunted by abductions” after confirming from multiple sources in the National Police Service and other government institutions that Mr Amin's contract was to end on April 1.
Prior to publishing the story, the Nation contacted Mr Amin, Mr Kanja, State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed and National Police Service Commission Yuda Kamora. None of the bureaucrats responded.
On Wednesday, after Mr Kanja denied that Mr Amin's contract had lapsed, none of the same group of bureaucrats responded to further queries on the same subject.
In his statement, Mr Kanja did not specify whether Mr Amin's contract will run beyond April 1 on account of extension by President William Ruto.
Rather, the officers resorted to silence and only Mr Kanja issued a statement with denials, but devoid of alternative facts.
“On the issue of the contract of the DCI: the DCI is just discharging his duties. His contract is not yet over. It is still there and it is running,” IG Kanja said yesterday, urging the officers under the NPS and the DCI not to worry.
Earlier, the National Police Service in a statement, when reacting to Daily Nation’s story regarding the tenure of Mr Amin and cloud of abductions that hang over him, said: “Painting the DCI with a broad brush of ‘abductions’ ignores the directorate's significant achievements under Mr Amin's leadership.”
Mr Amin, according to official records, was born on October 1, 1964, and was sworn into office on October 19, 2022, when he was 58 years old.
Amin in 2024 secured a two-year contract extension, alongside then Deputy Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, now Inspector-General of Police, who had also attained the mandatory retirement age of 60 years.
While Mr Amin’s contract expired on Wednesday, Mr Kanja’s term runs until September 2028 when his four-year-constitutional mandate will end.
Asked whether his contract had been extended or he will be leaving office, Mr Amin on Tuesday replied that “We will cross that bridge when we get there”.
He spoke in Kericho, where he was following up on investigations into the mass grave found with 32 bodies.
Should Mr Amin not secure an extension, effectively ending his tenure, his legacy while at the helm will be clouded with the 2024 and 2025 Gen Z-led anti-government protests and subsequent abductions of State critics.
Police killed at least 50 people during the brutal crackdown on protestors, according to human rights groups.
Protesters picket along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi on June 25, 2025 during the commemoration of the 2024 Gen-Z protests.
However, while defending Mr Amin, his boss downplayed the role the DCI officers played in the abduction of the dissenters.
“We are a legal entity created by this constitution and we have got our mandates clearly spelt out by the constitution and that is what we form. And that is why I advocate for serious training [of the police],” IG Kanja said.
The IG was speaking in Nairobi during the launch of the second phase of the e-learning modules for the National Police Service where he lauded the rollout of the expanded digital training platform as an “important milestone” in the growth of the programme.
“This initiative holds special significance as a symbol of resilience and innovation, having taken shape during the uncertainty of COVID-19 pandemic, in the year 2020,” Mr Kanja said. “It became a practical and timely response, which equipped and enabled officers to adapt to the complex realities of enforcing law and order, under unprecedented conditions.”
During the first phase of the programme, the police boss said, more than 12,000 police officers drawn from over 28 counties enrolled, and successfully completed the modules.
“This next phase has already demonstrated promising results through a pilot exercise conducted in three counties, that is: Kericho, Tana River and Marsabit,” IG Kanja explained. “During the pilot, a total of 554 officers across 26 police stations were sensitised to the programme. Of these, 386 officers proceeded to enroll to the programme.”
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