NPSC names officers sacked after failing fresh vetting, one on claims of defilement

National Police Service Commission chairman Johnstone Kavuludi

NAIROBI: The National Police Service Commission has named three senior officers sacked after they failed a re-vetting exercise.

They include Francis Okonya, Stephen Arap Soi and Wilfred Mbithi.

Commission chairman Johnstone Kavuludi said Okonya was removed because he refused to co-operate with the vetting panel of the commission while Soi had been convicted of shooting a member of the public and assaulting a junior officer.

Mbithi was removed for claims of defilement of a minor eight years ago.

Kavuludi issued a statement saying vetting results of David Birech and Alexander Munyao had been held until investigations are complete.

“Similarly, results for James Mwaniki will stay in abeyance until the case he has filed against the commission is concluded by the court,” said Kavuludi.

He said the commission is not against police having wealth but it is against officers using their positions to acquire wealth illegally.

“Officers who can reconcile their wealth with legitimate sources of income are to be commended and have nothing to fear,” he said.

Kavuludi appealed to members of the public and human rights organisations to come forward with specific information on human rights abuses. He assured they are committed to end impunity in the service.

Among those who succeeded in convincing the commission include Samuel Nyabengi, Eusebius Laibuta, Tito Kilonzi, Roba Kalicha, and Sharif Abdalla.

Paul Ndambuki and John Gachomo who were out of the country were also vetted and passed the exercise.

They had been sacked last year in May after failing the suitability test but they appealed the decision prompting the fresh exercise.

They were sacked in May 2014 after failing the ongoing police vetting exercise.

The commission said the reasons for their sacking then included lack of discipline, integrity, violation of human rights, financial impropriety and engagement in criminal activities among them bribery, human trafficking, rape and defilement as well as the smuggling of commodities such as sugar, illicit brews and drugs.

Today, the commission will start to vet officers at the Internal Affairs Unit. After that, the officers will be used to vet others of the ranks of Chief inspector and below.

The results of more than 1,000 OCPDs, their deputies, CID commanders and other officers of the ranks of Senior Superintendent and Superintendent will be released by the end of the month, officials said.

So far, close to 2000 officers have been vetted in the exercise that started in December 2013 aimed at checking police suitability and so far more than 20 have been sacked.

Vetting is mandatory for all officers before they are promoted to the next rank, confirmed or posted.

The vetting process is being conducted pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution Article 246 and National Police Service Act (2011) Section 7(2) and (3) which stipulate that members of the National Police Service shall undergo vetting to assess their suitability and competence.

Vetting is mandatory for all officers before they are promoted to the next rank, confirmed or posted.

The vetting was meant to clean up the police, which has been listed as the most corrupt institution in Kenya by many surveys.

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