Members of Parliament have unanimously approved Mr Douglas Kanja as the next Inspector General of Police, paving the way for his swearing in at the State House in Nairobi Thursday.
The decision was arrived at during a vote on the motion that was tabled by the committee that vetted the police boss.
“Members of the National Assembly have approved the appointment of Mr Douglas Kanja Kirochi as the Inspector-General of the National Police Service,” read a statement by the National Assembly.
Kanja was nominated by President William Ruto as the Police IG following the exit of Japhet Koome.
Prior to his nomination, Kanja served as the acting IG. However, he had to vacate the position for a while so as to go through the vetting and approval in Parliament.
In the meantime, Ruto tasked Gilbert Masengeli to serve as the acting IG.
Following his approval, Kanja will take an oath of office before officially taking up his role as the police boss.
In his career within NPS, Kanja served in the General Service Unit (GSU). He previously served as Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service – Commandant of the General Service Unit for five years.
Other positions he has held include County Police Commander in charge of Kilifi County, Deputy Commandant of Kenya Airports Police Unit and Chief Armourer at the Police Headquarters.
He has undertaken extensive security-related training at home and abroad. A career police officer who has served for a cumulative period of thirty-nine years, Mr Kanja began his career as a recruit Police Constable in 1985 and was then promoted to Police Constable,” Ruto noted in his appointment memo.
