Nominee Inspector-General of the National Police Service Douglas Kanja Kirocho.
Inspector General of Police nominee Douglas Kanja will walk into his Jogoo House office next week to find an office on fire.
Kanja, who is awaiting the verdict of parliament on his suitability, will assume office next Monday if things go according to plan.
A schedule developed by the Office of the President on the swearing in ceremony states that if approved by Parliament, Kanja will be sworn into office on Friday, September 20, at an event scheduled at State House, Nairobi.
He will officially take over office next Monday, September 23.
At his Jogoo House office, it will be a full in-tray for the new IG.
In his priority to-do list is to deal with the crisis between the office of the IG and the Judiciary.
Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli is at logger heads with Chief Justice Martha Koome after the acting police chief withdrew the security guards attached to High court Judge Lawrence Mugambi.
At the weekend, the security detail of the judge were disarmed and withdrawn in what the chief Justice termed as an attempt to hit back at the judiciary.
Judge Mugambi last week sentenced Masenegli to six months in jail for failing to honour summons by the court.
On Tuesday, September 17, Masengeli in a press statement defended the removal of the security detail of the judge and insisted that the officers had been sent to attend a training on VIP protection.
For a record seven times, Masengeli failed to turn up in court to explain the whereabouts of activist Bob Micheni Njagi and two brothers Jamil and Aslam Longton.
The three were allegedly abducted by persons believed to be police officers, on August 19 in Kitengela and bundled into white Subaru’s.
The whereabouts of these men have remained unknown forcing the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) to file a petition in court for their production.
Njagi and Jamil had hosted a discussion on X Space discussing national issues and raising concerns about government policies and their abduction is believed to be connected to their activism.
Last Friday, judge Mugambi found Masengeli guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to six months in prison.
The court however extended an olive branch and gave Masengeli a one-week window to redeem himself before the commencement of the sentence.
Masengeli filed an appeal on the sentence.
Kanja will also be assuming office at a time when the Police service is reeling from the controversy of promotions.
The police chief will also be expected to deal with this crisis that followed the merit promotions of friends, relatives and kinsmen of senior police chiefs.
There was a hue and cry from some of the low-level police officers some who felt that some deserving officers had not been promoted.
Following the outcry by some of the junior officers, the National Police Service announced that the commission had temporarily stopped more promotions by the acting IG until the confirmation of Kanja into office.
NPSC boss Eliud Kinuthia said: “The commission urged the acting Inspector General of Police to temporarily halt promotions on merit in the meantime as we wait for substantive appointment of inspector General “
Kinuthia who addressed a press brief in Nairobi insisted that all the promotions conducted by Masengeli had followed the due process and denied claims of favoritism and nepotism.
Kanja will also be required to take over the reform agenda in the police following the implementation of the Justice Maraga taskforce report.
Some of the recommendations by the Maraga team have already been implemented.
Last week, the police service commission announced that in line with the Maraga recommendations, police officers have secured a pay rise.
Implementation of the salary review started in July even.
Under the reviewed terms, Fresh recruits into the police service will now get a Sh4,000 pay rise while the highest increment of Sh21,000 will benefit senior officials in the rank of senior Assistant Inspector General.
At the same time, controversial promotions that have sparked protests of nepotism and favouritism have been suspended.
Some 1957 police officers have been awarded promotions that come with pay increments.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has so far appointed a team to oversee implementation reforms in the police service.
The CS has announced that Principal Secretary of the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration Dr Raymond Omollo will chair the National Steering Committee tasked with the reforms.
In the reforms agenda, Kanja will join officials from the office of the Solicitor General, , commissioner generals of the Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service, who will be driving changes in the security docket.
Officials from these offices will implement the police reforms for a period of three years according to the plans by CS Kindiki.
