Editor's Review

Narc Kenya Party leader Martha Karua has weighed in on Inspector General of Police Japhet Kooome’s recent move to scale down the security of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Narc Kenya Party leader Martha Karua has weighed in on Inspector General of Police Japhet Kooome’s recent move to scale down the security of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.

In a statement via Twitter on Friday, February 3, the former Justice and Legal Affairs Minister stated that the police should act independently from political influence.

“Police independence from political influence in decision making and in operations is what informed the police reforms in the 2010 constitution,” Karua stated.

The Azimio la Umoja principal added that the National Police Service should not bow to pressure from the executive.

“It is therefore unfortunate to see successive holders of Inspector General NPSC_KE, NPS Official_KE continue to bow to executive pressure despite their constitutional safe guards.

“The independence of the holder of office shapes the trajectory of the office constitutional safe guards notwithstanding,” Karua remarked.

File image of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Her sentiments come hours after a number of police officers attached to Uhuru were recalled for redeployment.

IG Koome defended the move noting that the officers recalled were not supposed to be under the former president according to regulations of the National Police Service.

According to Koome, the former president was assigned an assistant inspector general. of police, hence the changes.

"An officer who was of the rank of an assistant Inspector General was with the retired president. So how do you expect an assistant Inspector General to report to another assistant Inspector General?" Koome posed.