The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja speaking at a past event / FILE
The National Police Service (NPS) has established new specialised police formations under its amended organisational structure in a move aimed at strengthening policing, improving operational efficiency and enhancing service delivery across the country.
The changes were announced in a gazette notice issued by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
The new formations are the Nairobi Metropolitan Police, the Judiciary Police Unit, the Quick Response Unit and the Kenya Police Marine Unit.
The Nairobi Metropolitan Police will coordinate policing and security operations across the Nairobi Metropolitan Area to address the region's security challenges and support integrated law enforcement.
The Judiciary Police Unit was established to enhance security within the Judiciary by providing dedicated protection for courts, judicial officers, court users and judicial facilities.
The Quick Response Unit will serve as a rapid deployment team to respond to emergencies, high-risk incidents and other situations requiring immediate police intervention.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Police Marine Unit will strengthen security and law enforcement along the country's coastal waters, lakes and other inland waterways, supporting efforts to combat marine crime, improve water safety and safeguard Kenya's maritime interests.
According to the National Police Service, the new formations form part of broader reforms under the amended organisational structure aimed at modernising policing, improving coordination among specialised units and strengthening the Service's capacity to respond to emerging security threats.
The command structure of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police, the newest of the four formations, was unveiled last week.
The unit commander will report to the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service.
The command structure attracted public discussion after it emerged that officials who benchmarked similar metropolitan policing models in other jurisdictions found that police in some of those jurisdictions report to local mayors.
President William Ruto directed the establishment of the metropolitan police formation to transform policing across the Nairobi Metropolitan Area through a modern, technology-driven and highly mobile operational model.
Tom Odero will lead the unit.
The President directed that the structure should preserve the constitutional command and control of the National Police Service while strengthening regional coordination across the Nairobi Metropolitan Area.
The unit was developed following a comprehensive assessment of Nairobi's urban security landscape, which identified the need for stronger inter-agency coordination, modern technology, enhanced accountability and greater community engagement to address increasingly complex metropolitan security challenges.
The assessment also identified the need to strengthen existing enforcement institutions while creating a more integrated and responsive security framework to safeguard businesses, improve traffic management, protect critical infrastructure, support emergency response and enhance public order.
Under the organisational structure, the metropolitan formation will be headed by a Commandant reporting to the Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service and supported by a Deputy Commandant.
Kamukunji Police Station has been identified as the proposed headquarters of the unit. It will host the Integrated Command and Communication Centre (IC4) to coordinate operations in real time, alongside a Multi-Agency Liaison Office to strengthen coordination with national and county security agencies.
Operational command will extend through Sub-Region Commanders and Sub-County Commanders, supported by a network of metropolitan police stations, police posts and patrol bases to enhance police presence and rapid response across Nairobi.
The formation will also comprise specialised operational units covering Diplomatic Security, Public Safety, Enforcement, Traffic, Investigations, and Security and Patrol functions.
The Nairobi Metropolitan Police is expected to strengthen public confidence while supporting the capital's resilience and competitiveness.
As Nairobi continues to grow as a regional, commercial, financial and diplomatic hub, the Government says the new policing model is intended to strengthen public safety, improve service delivery and respond to the capital's evolving security needs.
