Garissa County CID commander opts to retire over security reasons

The newly posted Garissa County CID commander Boniface Mwaniki has protested the posting and opted to retire over security reasons.

Mwaniki wrote to the Director Criminal Investigations Department Ndegwa Muhoro to express his decision and cited security as the major reason. Muhoro has accepted the move by Mwaniki.

Mwaniki had told his colleagues that his life was in danger following the posting in Garissa given his past work as the head of Anti-Terror Police Unit (ATPU).

He is among 50 officers who were transferred in latest changes in the CID to help in containing crime. Mwaniki has been a long serving head of ATPU, an elite team charged with fighting terrorism in the country. As the immediate former head of the unit, he feels he was also demoted by being posted to Garissa to head CID there given his experience and knowledge of terror matters.

"He feels unsafe and he is being demoted because he has been in charge of ATPU and gone for further studies at the NDC and by sending him to Garissa was not in good faith," said an officer close to him. Mwaniki is a celebrated anti-terror officer having worked at the office up to last year for five years when he was sent to the National Defense College in Karen for administration issues.

The changes were announced on Tuesday last week. Said Baruk will be in charge of Mandera County and Keri Nyawida will take over in Wajir.

Muhoro announced the changes and moved Festus Malinge from Kisii to Busia County, Francis Kilonzo from Bomb Disposal to Tharaka Nithi County, John Otieno to Nyamira and Stephene Chacha to Muranga. The new head of Bomb Disposal unit is Eliud Langat while Onesmus Towett has been moved from Kwale County to CID headquarters and Amos Teben is the new CID commander for Kisii.

Mombasa CID boss Ndumba Thangalan was moved to CID headquarters and will be replaced by Makadara's William Nanguli. Head of land fraud unit Nicholas Etyang was moved to Makadara as the DCIO while Edson Nzioka was posted in Voi. Central DCIO Richard Bitok was moved to Ngong in same capacity and swapped positions with Hussein Bakari. Others posted include Issa Mohamed (ATPU), Joseph Manuni (Mwingi), Ayub Bakari (Kayole), Harun Musanga (Moyale), Justus Emase (Kericho), Edward Mulamula (Kirinyaga), Stephen Wambua (Kisauni), Ali Bule (Kilindini), Brigid Kanyagi (Insurance unit), Joseph Kioko (Muranga), Francis Okwach (Bomet), Charles Kipchimba (Karatina), Michael Mwenze (Wajir East), Mungai Kamau (Kwale), Vincent Egesa (Samburu) and Cathrene Njue (Nyandarua).

The transfer of Mr. Mwaniki to Garissa was seen as a strategy to address terror threats that have been on the rise in the region. It's part of changes that have been implemented since April 2 when terrorists stormed Garissa University College and killed more than 150 people, most of them students.

Local police commanders have since been transferred and new ones posted there.