The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohammed Amin has disbanded another DCI specialized unit established by his predecessor George Kinoti.
Amin transferred all senior officers assigned to the DCI Anti-Counterfeit Unit in changes announced on Tuesday afternoon.
“The DCI Special Service Unit (SSU) has been disbanded with immediate effect. All officers serving in the disbanded unit have been recalled to DCI Headquarters for further instructions,” a message on the DCI Twitter handle said.
The unit, which was based at the Parklands DCI offices, was established in 2018 after Interior CS Fred Matiang’i announced that some traders were selling contraband sugar laced with mercury. After that, the unit was formed and reported directly to Kinoti.
It was tasked with dealing with alleged contraband goods that had made their way into the market.
Amin has now transferred all of the unit’s senior commanders, leaving only the junior officers.
The team’s commanding officers, five senior officers with the ranks of Chief Inspector and Inspector of Police, were transferred yesterday.
Chief Inspector Nathan Njoroge, the unit’s commander, has been transferred to the Takaba DCI office in Mandera. Jacob Kathurima, another member of the same unit, has been transferred to DCI Turkana South.
The changes also affected 37 Inspectors and Chief Inspector of Police officers.
The unit’s disbandment follows that of the Special Service Unit which was disbanded on October 16 by acting Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow.
Gabow stated that the Government of William Ruto was reorganizing the National Police Service.
Following revelations that the SSU had been turned into a rogue unit engaged in extra-judicial killings, President Ruto would eventually announce that he had directed the unit’s disbandment.
The president, speaking at a church service in Kericho, claimed that officers in the elite police unit had gone rogue and become killers.
“The police changed and became killers instead of protectors of ordinary Kenyans. I have ordered the disbandment of a special Police unit that was killing Kenyans arbitrarily. We will change this country for the better,” Ruto said.
Investigations into the mysterious disappearances of two Indian nationals, Zulfiqar Khan and Mohamed Zaid, as well as taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania in Nairobi in July resulted in the arrest of nine SSU officers.
As the investigation into the missing men continues, eight officers are in custody and one is out on bond.
