Hard truths. Bold Insights. Real talk.
Speaking during security inspections in Kitengela on Thursday, Kanja maintained that Kenya remained stable despite heightened tensions surrounding memorial activities marking the anniversary of the 2024 anti-government protests.
Under the new framework, police commanders will be expected to closely monitor political activities in their areas, identify groups likely to cause disruptions and take action before incidents escalate into violence.
Addressing senior police officers during a high-level security summit at the National Police Leadership Academy in Ng’ong on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, Kanja said the National Police Service would not allow criminal gangs to regain ground in any part of the country.
Assistant Inspector General Johana Tonui has been appointed Commandant of the General Service Unit (GSU) effective immediately, following senior police transfers approved by the National Police Service Board. Frederick Egesa Nyongesa becomes deputy.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja warned during a multi-agency meeting that early campaigning, organised criminal gangs and misinformation could threaten stability ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
Murkomen said a national Election Security Preparedness Framework has already been completed, drawing lessons from past elections dating back to 1992. He said the framework focuses on electoral violence, misinformation, cyber threats, hotspot mapping, and stronger coordination between institutions involved in election management and security.
National Treasury has set aside Sh2.9 billion for police recruitment in 2026/2027, but Inspector-General Douglas Kanja says the National Police Service needs at least Sh6.7 billion to hire officers before the 2027 election.
The attack took place near Omar Jillo Centre along the Mandera-Arabia Road in Mandera County, an incident that has raised concern over growing insecurity in the region and fears of retaliatory violence between communities.
Inspector General Douglas Kanja said about 10,000 recruits are currently in various police training colleges, forming part of a wider push to boost operational readiness before the elections.
The petition also challenges the legal route taken, stating that the National Police Service Act does not recognise such directives, but instead requires structured regulations developed jointly by the Cabinet Secretary and the Inspector General.
The officers touched down on Tuesday evening, bringing to a close Kenya’s latest rotation of personnel assigned to support security operations in the Caribbean nation.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Kalonzo said the attack, carried out by what he described as “a gang of approximately 40 heavily armed bandits,” left “six men and one woman… killed” in Kwa Kamari Trading Centre, adding that “their bodies bore gunshot wounds and machete cuts” while one survivor remains hospitalised in critical condition.