The fight between commissioners within the National Police Service Commission escalated Friday after Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome ordered his officers to ignore an advert placed calling for applications for promotions.
Koome warned any police officer who may fail to heed his order will face disciplinary action.
“I therefore direct that all officers under your command should be informed to ignore the advertisement and that any officer who fails to heed the directive may face disciplinary sanctions,” said Koome in an internal memo to all police commanders.
The memo was dated June 9, 2023 and was sent to all officers in the Kenya police, Administration Police and Director of Criminal Investigation.
He said his attention had been drawn to the advert by Leley calling for applications from police for positions declared.
It came following an advertisement placed by Commission CEO Peter Leley in which he advertised 514 vacancies already filled by the police.
There has been a week long standoff between a faction of commissioners- one led by Koome and the other by the chairman Eliud Kinuthia and Leley- over promotions of senior officers.
Koome with his deputies Douglas Kanja and Noor Gabow had Monday announced the promotion of the 514 officers.
But hours later, Kinuthia termed the move null and void and declared the move was illegal escalating the drama there.
He planned a press conference at a Mombasa hotel but canceled it before the commission Leley released an unsigned statement that had no official letter head also dismissing the promotions.
“The promotions are contrary to Article 246 of the Constitution of Kenya- 2010, the National Police Service Commission Promotion Regulations, 2015, Chapter 34 of the National Police Service Standing Orders, 2017 and the National Police Service Career Guidelines.”
“They are also unlawful and un-procedural as the Inspector General has no such authority in Law. The Commission cannot ascertain the merits of the said promotions,” Leley said in the statement.
Koome said he was within the law in what he was doing.
On Friday June 9 Leley put an advert in local newspapers saying the Executive Order No. 1 of 2023 on organization of the Government of the Republic of Kenya of 6th January 2023, recognized the independence of National Police Service Commission and National Police Service.
The advert said NPSC is committed to implementing the provisions of the Constitution, Article 232(1), on fair competition and merit, representation of Kenyans diverse communities and affording equal employment opportunities to men and women, members of all ethnic groups and persons with disabilities.
The commission wants to fill six vacancies of the rank of Senior Inspector General of Kenya police, 22 in Assistant Inspector General of police, 43 Commissioners of police, 160 Senior Superintendent of Police and 97 Superintendents of police.
In Administration Police, the commission said it intends to fill three positions of the rank of SAIG, five AIGs, 13 CPs, 21 SSP and 67 SPs while in DCI there are three SAIGs, five AIGs, 21 CPs, 39 SSPs and nine SPs.
These are the same positions that Koome had filled.
Koome announced the promotions which saw the newly-appointed Commandant of the General Service Unit, Eliud Lagat, the director-general of the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), Bruno Shioso, Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations Nicholas Kamwende, the director of DCI’s Investigations Bureau (IB) Abdallah Komesha and John Onyango promoted to the rank of SAIG alongside David Birech, the Director of Internal Affairs Unit.
All new regional police commanders — who were of the rank of Commissioner of Police — were also promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General (AIG).
They include Nairobi Regional Police commander Adamson Bungei, Mombasa’s Peter Kimani, North Eastern’s Tom Muriithi, Eastern’s Joseph Napeiyan, Esther Seroney (DCI Airport), Alfred Majimbo, Francis Ndiema, Said Kiprotich (DCI Operations) and Paul Wachira (Deputy Director, IB).
Also promoted to the rank of AIG was National Police Service spokesperson Resila Onyango.
Among those promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police include DCI head of Economic Crimes Unit Abdullahi Shuria, Kiambu head of DCI Richard Mwaura, deputy head of forensics Anthony Muriithi, director of counter terrorism at NPS Dennis Omunyiri, Lawrence Some, Aggrey Obura of DCI operations, Jimmy Kisobo, head of Serious Crimes at DCI Michael Sang, head of Operations Support Unit Zachary Kariuki Kiago, Lawrence Knthiwa, Simon Kipruto, Sophia Kinoti, Janet Shako, Peter Ngundo, Gillon Gitau, Geoffrey Chania and Abraham Mugambi.
Sosthenes Makuri of Sacco unit, head of land fraud unit William Kibet, Joseph Kivuva and James Githinji were also promoted to the rank of Commissioner of Police.
Officials said there are plans to summon the quarreling teams for talks.
The chairman and some of the commissioners had last week appeared before a parliamentary committee where they accused Koome and Interior CS of usurping their mandates.
