Changes in the Police service
Augustine Nthumbi is the new Nairobi County Regional Commander in the latest police changes announced Wednesday.
He replaces Rashid Yakub as the latter has been promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police (SAIG).
The new police commander who was also promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of police has been serving as the Central regional police boss.
Yakub was named the director of operations and moved to Kenya Police headquarters.
Nthumbi has been replaced as central region police commander by Titus Karuri who has been acting as the director of operations at Vigilance House.
He took over the mantle in Nairobi on Tuesday at a brief ceremony and asked for cooperation among officers to manage the city.
On Monday, Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai announced the promotion of at least 20 senior police officers after the changes were approved by the National Police Service Commission.
Some of those promoted to the same rank were the IG’s principal assistant Gideon Munga Nyale, deputy director of National Air Support Department (NASD) Rodgers Mbithi, and the director of the Internal Affairs Unit Mohamed Amin.
Others include the head of the Border Patrol Unit College in Kanyonyo, Abdulahi Aden, Railways Police Commandant Peter Ndung’u, head of logistics at Administration Police, and former spokesman Masood Mwinyi and director of personnel at Kenya Police headquarters Boniface Maingi.
The new police appointments have also seen several regional commanders promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police.
Some of the regional commanders promoted include the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in Nairobi Bernard Nyakwaka, Nyanza regional police commander Karanja Muiruri, Central’s Augustine Nthumbi and DCI’s deputy director of investigations bureau Carey Nyawinda.
The service commanders have been operating in acting capacity hence affecting the general command and order, with the full list of the changes to be shared later by National Police Service.
Officials said Mutyambai would announce more changes soon. Two weeks ago, Mutyambai ordered the reshuffle of dozens of Ward Commanders popularly known as Officers Commanding Station (OCS).
This followed complaints that some of them had overstayed at their stations for long. To further strengthen police command at the grassroots, all chiefs’ camps, which were initially manned by APs, were converted into police posts.