The National Police Service appointed a new spokesperson on Monday, November 7.
Dr. Resila Atieno Onyango succeeded Bruno Shioso, who was promoted and named commandant of the National Police Service Training Campus in Kiganjo.
Shioso took over for the incoming Inspector General of Police, Japheth Koome.
In the changes announced by acting IGP Noor Gabow, deputy commandant at the college Philip Ndolo was recalled to the police headquarters.
Manase Musyoka, the Central Regional Police Commander (RPC), was transferred to the Nairobi region in the same capacity as a result of the changes.
Musyoka took over for James Mugera, who retired after reaching the retirement age.
Lydia Ligami will be the new Central RPC, while Paul Langat has been assigned to Western as the RPC to replace Peris Muthoni, who retired from the service.
Gabow also named Cathrene Mugwe as the staff officer training at police headquarters.
He described the changes as normal and intended to boost operations in the affected areas.
The new commanders are experienced officers who are widely expected to deliver.
More changes are expected to begin next month, when Koome takes over as IGP.
More changes are also on the way at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, where DCI Mohamed Amin is still reorganizing the agency.
Both Koome and Amin are new to their positions and will try to place men and women in positions that they believe will help in their agenda.
The focus shifts to Resila, who arrives at the office at a time when the service is facing an image crisis due to allegations of extrajudicial killings and other forms of abuse.
Resila was excited to learn about her new posting.
“We will deliver with your support and all stakeholders. We are set and need your support,” she said.
She made headlines last year when she became the first female police officer in the National Police Service’s history to earn a doctorate degree.
She is a Senior Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Director of Planning at the Inspector General of Police’s Office.
She previously worked at Kenya Police Headquarters’ public relations office in the Rift Valley region, as well as at the National Police Senior Staff College in Loresho, Nairobi.
She has also worked as a criminal intelligence officer for the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) at the East African regional bureau.
Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa, Mozambique, and Namibia make up the region.
She is a trained teacher who earned her first degree in education from Moi University before joining the National Police Service in 2003.
She later received her PhD in Criminal Justice from The City University of New York’s (CUNY) Graduate Center/John Jay College of Criminal Justice as part of the CUNY Graduate Centre Doctorate Fellowship.
Resila also holds a Master of Science in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania in the USA, under Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program.
