By Cyrus Ombati
The commandant of Kenya Airports Police Unit (KAPU) Ms Grace Kaindi has finally been gazetted as the new Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP).
The current acting Administration Police (AP) commandant Samuel Arachi was also gazetted as the Deputy Inspector General of the service while CID director Ndegwa Muhoro has been confirmed the new Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Highly placed sources confirmed the gazettement and promised to send copies of the same to newsrooms later Friday.
“It is true they have been gazetted and they should start their work anytime now,” said the official.
The new office bearers who will stay in office for the next four years were named in a gazette notice issued by president Kibaki on Friday.
Kaindi emerged third after David Kimaiyo and John Ochieng in the interviews to be the Inspector General of Police. She had also applied to be appointed the DIGP.
Arachi emerged the best in the category of those who were interviewed for the position of the Deputy Inspector General in charge of Administration Police and was followed by Mr Gideon Kimilu while Mr David Ngondi was third.
Muhoro emerged the best in the category of Deputy Inspector General in charge of the Kenya Police followed by Ms Judy Chebet while former Police Spokesman Jasper Ombati was ranked third.
But he could not be named the DIG of police because of the gender issue.
He was also ranked first in the interview for CID director followed by his deputy Mr Kimilu and Ms Mary Kaol, the in charge of Interpol came third.
Sources said the names of the nominees were sent to the Government Printers from the Office of the President on Friday and gazetted.
It is more than a month since the officials were nominated by the National Police Service Commission after passing their interviews.
The issue of gender had been the main impediment after some quarters demanded that all the top three nominees be men.
The gazettement ends complaints from various civil society groups especially the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, which asked that the appointment be stopped and the position of the DIG of police be advertised a fresh if the appointee was not a woman.
IPOA chairman Macharia Njeru said section 14 of the Police Act states one of the three police commanders has to be a woman.
Inspector General of Police Kimaiyo has been operating since last December without substantive deputies, which insiders say affected his work.
Other insiders said the appointments were done to enable police work well especially ahead of the general election.
The IG and his deputies will seat in the National Police Service Commission, which will among others recruit and promote police officers.
