It has now emerged that officers attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are unhappy with the manner in which the police reforms introduced by President Uhuru Kenyatta are being implemented.
The Star reported that the tension in the unit had culminated in a crisis meeting headed by DCI boss George Kinoti where senior officials expressed their concerns regarding the ongoing police reforms. The DCI has hitherto operated with autonomy with a different reporting structure from the other police units.
However, President Kenyatta’s new structure requires a common command structure such that DCI detectives will be reporting to the respective commander in their stations.
For instance, those working in the counties will be reporting to the County Police Commander unlike before when they were only responsible to their DCI heads.
Another concern reportedly raised during the meeting with Kinoti was the fact that the new command structure will see all DCI officers demoted to a rank lower than their colleagues in the rest of the Police service.
In a county, for instance, the regional police commander will be the rank of an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) while the most senior DCI boss in the same county will be one rank lower as an Assistant Police Commissioner. The crisis meeting ended with the resolution that DCI head Kinoti should seek audience with the head of state so that they can better explain their concers. The DCI unit has recently received a positive public image with the reforms carried out by Kinoti as well as their involvement in high profile criminal and corruption cases.