Controversial Promotions: Outrage as Senior Police Officials’ Mistresses, Relatives Benefit in Latest IG Directive
Relatives, friends, and mistresses of high-ranking police officials are among those who have recently been promoted, according to announcements made by acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli.
Several well-connected police officers, some of whom have not yet met the required qualifications, have also been elevated, leading to accusations of favoritism and nepotism.
Last week, following Mr. Masengeli’s directive, around 200 lower-ranked officers (constables and corporals) received their promotion letters, as reported by Nation.Africa.
These promotions, based on merit, have elicited varied responses from police personnel.
The nation reached out to Mr. Masengeli and National Police Service Commission chair Eliud Kinuthia for comments on the promotions but received no response.
Nation’s inquiries to Mr. Masengeli focused on the criteria used for selecting promoted officers and the rationale behind their special consideration.
In separate queries, Nation also asked Mr. Kinuthia about the commission’s role in the promotions and whether the acting IG had the authority to execute them.
Several officers told Nation that some senior police officials responsible for recommending candidates for promotion had exploited the situation by forwarding the names of their relatives.
For example, at one police unit, both the daughter of a senior police chief and his driver were nominated for promotions, despite the daughter having only two years of service.
One officer questioned, “Why promote someone who is so new in the service when there are long-serving officers with over 20 years in lower ranks?”
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At a Nairobi police station, an Inspector of Police was promoted to Chief Inspector of Police after just three months in the former role, which raised concerns among colleagues.
The National Police Service Commission established promotion guidelines on May 22, 2015.
According to legal notice No. 88, then NPSC chair Johnstone Kavuludi and his team set the guidelines stipulating that the commission is responsible for all police promotions.
These guidelines, available on the commission’s public website, outline the qualifications required for merit-based promotions.
An officer must meet specific criteria including aptitude, skills, knowledge, experience, and personal qualities relevant to the duties. They should also have performed satisfactorily in their previous role and have relevant educational qualifications, free from corruption.
For promotions below the rank of Superintendent, the commission may delegate this responsibility to the IG, who would then be required to notify the commission before commencing the promotion process.
The last time an acting IG was appointed was on August 26, 2022, when then Deputy Inspector General Noor Gabow was made acting IG. He did not conduct any promotions during his tenure.
Controversial Promotions: Outrage as Senior Police Officials’ Mistresses, Relatives Benefit in Latest IG Directive
