Whether police failed to enforce court orders in the Gatoto Community Primary School dispute took centre stage on Friday after Inspector General Douglas Kanja told the High Court that the matter had been left in the hands of officers at the sub-county level and that he only learnt about it after being summoned to court.
Kanja appeared before Milimani High Court Judge Gregory Mutai alongside Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat and Principal Secretary for Basic Education Julius Bitok Ololtuaa to explain claims that court orders issued over the school's management had not been implemented.
The case arises from orders issued by Justice Mutai on June 25, 2026, directing the Principal Secretary for Basic Education and the County Education Board to register Gatoto Community Primary School as a private non-profit APBET primary school under the Basic Education Act.
The court also ordered that the ownership and management of the school be returned to the petitioners' Board of Management, Gatoto Primary School, the board of directors, Gatoto Primary School and Felix Mwangangi Maundu on July 2, 2026.
To ensure the handover was carried out peacefully, the court further directed the Makadara OCPD to deploy at least three police officers to provide security during the exercise.
During cross-examination by Law Society of Kenya President Charles Kanjama, Kanja said he had not been aware of the court orders requiring the school to be handed back to its management.
According to the Inspector General, he only became aware of the matter on Thursday, July 23, after being informed that he had been ordered to appear before the High Court.
He added that the issue had all along been under the supervision of the local Officer Commanding Station (OCS).
“My Lord, I have said there before, I got to know about these orders yesterday, Thursday, July 23, 2026, but I further got to understand that the local Officer Commanding Station (OCS) has been dealing with them,” IG Kanja told the court.
Kanjama then questioned why police officers had on several occasions failed to enforce court orders while claiming they were acting on instructions from senior officers.
“My question to you is, are you the person who exercises independent command of the entire National Police Service?” LSK President Kanjama asked IG Kanja.
Responding to the question, Kanja said he is in charge of the National Police Service but explained that the service operates through an established command structure.
He told the court that the Gatoto Community Primary School dispute is one that should be handled at the sub-county level, where the local OCS is responsible for such matters under the police chain of command.