Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet, will officially leave office today after a four year term in office.
A trained intelligence officer, Boinnet, 56, is not eligible for another term, under the law which provides that the holder of such officer shall serve for a fixed four-year term.
Boinnet was appointed IG on December 31, 2014. He is a career policeman who joined the National Intelligence Service in 1998.
His appointment followed the resignation of David Kimaiyo who President Uhuru appointed as the chairman of the Kenya Airports Authority.
Boinnet leaves office when the service is undergoing major reforms aimed at streamlining operations.
Boinnet will be remembered for spearheading the changes in the police service including the introduction of new uniforms and house allowances for the close to 150,000 police officers.
Some of the far-reaching changes being undertaken by the service include merger of the Administration Police with their Kenya Police counterparts.
Under the radical changes introduced by Boinnet, both the AP and the Kenya Police are now under a single command structure to boost response and harmonise operations.
Under Boinnet, the two units were brought together and named General Service Officers.
This meant that the AP officers, who used to be at the national administration officers, were reassigned and deployed to police stations across the country.
In bridging the gaps within the security sector, Boinnet embarked on the process of establishing new command structures at the grassroots.
Under these reforms, each of the country’s 290 constituencies or sub-counties was named a polices division under the command of the sub-county police commander.
In his last day in office, the police boss is expected to meet the incoming commissioners of the National Police Service Commission.
The commissioners who will be sworn into office today will be critical in the recruitment of Boinnet’s successor.
Eliud Kinuthia was appointed the chairman of the NPSC, taking over from Johnstone Kavuludi. Members of the commission include Lilian Kiamba, Eusibius Laibuta, Naftali Kipchirchir Rono, Alice Atieno Otwala and John ole Mayaki.
After taking the oath of office, the commissioners will hold its first meeting and pick a candidate to hold the office of the IG in an acting capacity.
Insiders familiar with the government plans say swearing-in ceremony of the new commissioners had been scheduled for today.
It is expected that the commission, as has been the tradition, will appoint either of the two deputies Noor Gabow or Edward Mbugua in acting capacity as the search for the next IG begins.
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