Governor Sakaja revives County Policing Authority to tackle rising crime
Membership will include the governor as chair, county representatives from the National Intelligence Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and nominees from the county assembly.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is advancing plans to bring the County Policing Authority into operation, aiming to curb rising insecurity in the capital.
The Authority, established under Section 41 of the National Police Service Act, has existed on paper for years but has never been implemented.
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“This authority is provided for by Section 41 of the National Police Service Act, but it has never been brought to life, and in Nairobi, you need that, especially a metropolitan kind of force. So we’re working on that,” Sakaja said on Thursday.
The Authority is tasked with coordinating county-level security efforts and strengthening community policing. It will guide police priorities, track crime patterns, monitor progress against set targets, oversee the authority’s budget, and provide an avenue for public participation in security matters.
Membership will include the governor as chair, county representatives from the National Intelligence Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and nominees from the county assembly.
Additionally, Sakaja will appoint at least six members from key groups such as youth, women, persons with special needs, and religious organisations.
Although the law was passed years ago, most counties have not set up the policing authorities.
President William Ruto directed in January 2023 that they be operationalised nationwide to allow counties to work hand-in-hand with the national government on security.
“We shall operationalise the County Policing Authority for county governments to join the national government in dealing with security matters in each county,” Ruto said during the 49th passing out of GSU recruits in Embakasi.
Sakaja and former Inspector General Japhet Koome announced in November 2022 that they had agreed to establish the authority, but progress stalled.
The renewed push comes amid a surge in crime, including muggings, theft, and armed robberies, particularly in the Central Business District.
The governor said the situation has improved following an operation to expose criminals exploiting damaged city lighting.
“What we are doing is restoring the lighting that is vandalised, which is driven by criminal elements, because we want a vibrant city. We are monitoring it [the situation] together with the regional police commander [George] Seda, OCPD central and county commissioner [David] Wanyonyi,” he said.
He added that the county has requested police to intensify patrols and strengthen the anti-vandalism unit with armed officers. “Some of our officers were attacked and stabbed as they tried stopping those vandalising lights on Outering Road,” Sakaja said.
On the topic of his recent impeachment push, the governor described it as resolved, saying all parties have agreed to work together to address Nairobi’s pressing challenges.
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