This is how IG Kanja can wipe our tears

While Deputy President, William Ruto cracked ribs when he claimed Kenya had the most incompetent Police Inspector General in the world.

That time, Dr Ruto was angered by what he thought were politically-motivated actions by security officials designed to frustrate his presidential bid.

A month after the 2022 elections, IG Hillary Mutyambai quit in a huff. Then in July 2024, Gen-Z protests toppled IG Japheth Koome.   

You will agree the Office of the Inspector General is no easy ride. As former hilarious IG David Kimaiyo would tell you, top cops are usually under ‘sieke’ just like the leadership of the electoral commission that comes with more heat than a barbecue grill.

This week amid public uproar over the death of Mr Albert Ojwang, the spotlight is on Douglas Kanja, the current IG. These are the tense moments when a public officer is damned if they do, and damned if they don’t. Mr Ojwang’s death, linked to police brutality, has shaken the nation the same way Robert Ouko’s murder did in February 1990.

But just before Mr Ojwang was murdered, IG Kanja had announced reforms aimed at curbing corruption within the service. On June 5, he told his officers that their greed would come at a heavy price. He acknowledged how corruption had taken root in the ‘utumishi’ family. Without saying it, the IG believes graft is the mother of all their problems.

Every day, traffic officers openly imbibe bribes on highways. Kenyans see them all the time. When the National Police Service Commission vetted officers in 2016, one senior cop couldn’t explain the source of his Sh50 million wealth, with large bank and M-Pesa transactions to his name.

Of course, more rot occurs behind closed doors. IG Kanja, in his wisdom, has gone ahead and ordered county commanders to form corruption-prevention committees. The commanders, he says, will be held personally accountable for graft occurring under their watch.

According to him, the integrity of the police service is on the line, and must be restored. This is not just about ethics, it’s about rebuilding public trust.

As the IG and his team face scrutiny over Mr Ojwang’s killing, his reform agenda should not be lost. The police boss and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen deserve full support in this renewed attempt to weed out rotten apples.

It’s heartening that a number of changes are underway, including a digital policing system aimed at reducing police-public interaction breeding graft. The introduction of a digital Occurrence Book is also expected to improve incident reporting and accountability.

Despite the dark shadow cast by Mr Ojwang’s death, IG Kanja has a unique opportunity to wipe the nation’s teeming tears by leading a genuine anti-graft crusade. He must succeed where his predecessors, including the one Dr Ruto criticised as most incompetent, failed.

Corruption, however, fights back. The first step for IG Kanja will be to challenge the entrenched belief that some individuals are above the law. Equally important is tackling the secrecy surrounding senior officers’ wealth. This lack of transparency is a key reason why anti-graft efforts often become a shadowboxing affair. We deserve a clear record of what they own.

In Bruno Mars’ song “Grenade,” he sings that: “Easy come, easy go…that’s just how you live.” IG Kanja must ensure his anti-corruption campaign doesn’t become an ‘easy come easy go’ situation like the once-promising but failed ‘kamata kamata Fridays’ of the previous regime.

Indeed, we’ve tried many anti-corruption initiatives before. During President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure, top public officials were asked to declare their wealth. This was followed by procurement officers stepping aside and told to undergo lie detector tests. It all came a cropper.

In all fairness, IG Kanja deserves Kenyans’ support to clean up the system. But beyond his leadership, all Kenyans have a role in the war against corruption in whatever sector, including the political space. Let Mr Ojwang’s awful death inspire healthy conversations on reforms and justice.

The writer is a communications practitioner. X:@markoloo