Vetting of OCPDs, AP Commanders kick-off in Nairobi, exercise to check on officers' suitability to hold office

Nairobi, Kenya: Vetting of all OCPDs, their deputies and AP commanders of the rank of SSP and SP in Nairobi region starts Wednesday.

The officers will be vetted at the National Police Service Commission offices in Westlands, Nairobi.

They are being questioned on their suitability to be in office.

The commission says vetting is mandatory for all police officers.

The applicable vetting standards include officer’s satisfaction of entry and training requirements, their professional conduct and discipline, integrity and financial probity, and respect for human rights.

Officers, who satisfy the commission with regard to competence and suitability, will be retained and those who do not will be removed from service.

So far more than 2,000 officers have been vetted and less than 20 have been removed from service.

The exercise has been facing resistance from some of the officers who fear they may be affected.

Vetting of police officers was among the more than 200 proposals of a commission set up following the 2007-2008-post election violence.

The overall goal of the National Task Force on Police Reforms headed by retired Judge Philip Ransley was to transform the police service into an efficient, effective, professional and accountable security agency that Kenyans would trust with their safety and security.

The need for police reform was reinforced by recommendations made by the Waki Commission of Inquiry into the 2007 Post-election Violence.

This was after police were largely blamed for the violence the broke out after the disputed polls that claimed more than 1,000 lives.

The commission recommended urgent and comprehensive vetting to be undertaken by a panel of policing experts to ensure that the service had officers with required competence, skills and knowledge.