Douglas Kanja to undergo Parliamentary vetting next week for IG position

Inspector General nominee Douglas Kanja will be vetted on Thursday next week, three weeks after his nomination to the seat by President William Ruto.

He shall be vetted by two committees of the bi-cameral parliament comprising the National Assembly's departmental committee on Administration and Internal Security and the Senate's standing committee on National Security, Defence, and Foreign Relations.

A joint notice issued by the clerks of the two Houses has given Kenyans until August 12 to send in their views ahead of the exercise.

"In accordance with section 6(9) of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act (Cap. 7F), the committees now invite interested members of the public to submit any representations, by written statements on oath (affidavits), with supporting evidence, on the suitability of the nominee for appointment to office," the notice reads in part.

The representations may be hand-delivered to the offices of the clerks or emailed to [email protected] and [email protected].

President William Ruto nominated Kanja on July 25. Until his nomination, Kanja has been serving as the acting IG following the resignation of former IG Japhet Koome on July 12.

Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Administration Police Mr Gilbert Masengeli is serving as Acting Inspector General of Police pending the vetting and approval of Douglas Kanja by parliament.

Masengeli's mettle will be put to the test on Thursday this week when the halted Gen Z protests are expected to resume.

After taking over his new office last week, he pledged to strictly follow the rule of law in executing his mandate and adopt a multi-agency approach to his managing security in the country.

He takes on his new role at a critical time when the country is in turmoil following rising calls for the government's accountability for the ills done to Kenyans during the anti-government protests.

"I want to pledge to work within the rule of law and as per the constitution. I am ready to guide the officers to ensure the public gets the desired services since security is our priority and the safety of everyone is our responsibility. The common Mwananchi, the Wanjiku should not only feel safe but be safe, at all costs, we have no otherwise," said DIG Masengeli on Monday as he took over his new office at the Administration Police Headquarters, Jogoo House.

The officer who boasts of a career spanning over three decades at the service is skilled in counterterrorism operations, cross-border crimes and leadership, having previously served as the Commandant, of National Police College (Embakasi A campus) before his promotion to DIG.

"Our strength is teamwork and a multi-agency approach. We will work with other security agencies to ensure we exceed and provide the peace that is supposed to be as per the constitution," he said.

Masengeli has also served as the Commanding officer of the Special Operations Group, an elite counter-terrorism unit of the Administration Police that has been credited with foiling multiple terror attacks in the country.

He also ranks amongst officers decorated with the Purple Star of Kenya award, which recognises officers who have suffered injuries in battle amongst others.