Kenya Police Vigilance House in Nairobi. (Inset) Mr Tito Kyalo who has been promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Inspector General.
In February 2023, Mr Patrick Tito, then the Railways commandant, received his transfer letter from his boss Mr Douglas Kanja, then Deputy Inspector General in charge of Kenya Police.
When Mr Tito’s transfer letter arrived at the Railways headquarters in Nairobi, he was in shock.
Mr Kanja, now the Inspector General of Police, had to convince Mr Tito to take up this new role as Nyanza regional police boss.
Nyanza region, owing to the political tension witnessed in the past, has always been a nightmare for police chiefs.
What was more worrying at the time was the political hostility towards the government after opposition leader Mr Raila Odinga rejected the outcome of the 2022 General Election, which saw Dr William Ruto winner of the presidential vote.
Mr Odinga was leading anti-government protests in early January 2023.
Many police chiefs dreaded their appointment to this region.
When the decision to transfer Mr Tito was reached, Mr Kanja called him to his office and informed him of the decision.
Having served for 10 years as a personal assistant to four police chiefs, enjoying the soft life of Vigilance and Jogoo House and the full trapping of power, Mr Tito was not enthusiastic to take up leadership in this region.
His transfer to Nyanza meant at least one thing: That Tito would spend many sleepless nights dealing with the region's security headache.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen (right) decorates Mr Tito Kyalo with his new badges of rank during a security meeting in Kisumu.
Some of the police chiefs who served in this region were hurled out of office and recalled to police headquarters following complaints in the manner in which they had dealt with protests.
In the end, Mr Tito had to leave Nairobi as directed by his boss.
Mr Tito’s two-year service as the Nyanza region police chief did not experience much trouble, though.
No violent protests have been witnessed in this region lately.
Last Friday marked Mr Tito’s last day in office as the Nyanza police chief following his appointment as the new Principal Deputy to the DIG.
Mr Tito is now headed to police headquarters where he will take up the role of deputizing the DIG following the retirement of Ms Miriam Muli, who served in this position.
On the same day, Mr Tito was promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Inspector General in the latest promotions announced by the National Police Service Commission.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and DIG Eliud Lagat, decorated Mr Tito with his new badges of rank during a security meeting in Kisumu.
The CS, in a post on his Facebook account, said Tito had shown dedication at work and deserved this promotion.
“While on my working visit to the Kisii-Narok border today, I bestowed powers and in vesture upon the Nyanza Regional police commander, Mr Tito Kyalo who has been newly promoted to the rank of senior Assistant Inspector General of Police “said Murkomen.
As he leaves Kisumu to take up his new role, Tito, unlike some of his colleagues who served in this region, has a different story, having survived for two years where his colleagues found it difficult to work.
In his new role, Mr Tito becomes the second most powerful police chief at Vigilance after the DIG. He will now take over the administrative roles in the National Police Service.
Mr Tito served as a Personal Assistant to four police chiefs. In 2008, Mr Tito was PA to then commissioner of Police Maj General Hussein Ali until he left office.
From 2009 to 2012, he took over the role of PA to Mr Mathew Iteere, the ex-GSU boss appointed to lead the police after the exit of Maj Gen (rtd) Ali.
When Mr David Kimaiyo was picked as the first Inspector General of Police, Mr Tito was again appointed as his PA, a role that he played until Mr Kimaiyo left office.
When President Uhuru Kenyatta picked NIS boss Mr Joseph Boinnet to head the police service as IG, Mr Tito was again appointed his PA. He held the position until Mr Boinnet left Jogoo House in 2018.
After the exit of Mr Boinnet from Jogoo house, Mr Tito was moved to the Gigiri as the Diplomatic police commandant where he served for a period of three years.
In 2021, Mr Tito was moved to the Railways headquarters in Nairobi and named the commandant before he was again transferred to Nyanza as the regional Police boss in February 2023.
