The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has put officers assigned to VIP protection duties on notice, warning them against operating outside the law, amid claims from the opposition that the officers are receiving directives from politicians.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

While speaking during the Sensitisation Forum on New Service Standing Orders and Police Reforms at the National Police Leadership Academy (NPLA) in Ngong on August 12, IG Kanja singled out VIP security as an area that has not performed well, admitting that the unit needs closer attention going forward.

He made it clear that officers assigned to high-profile protection details must always operate strictly within the law, regardless of the circumstances.

Kanja warned that any officer who steps outside that legal framework will be held personally accountable, since the police service will not defend excessive or unlawful conduct.

📌 What You Need to Know

“I've mentioned about the VIP protection because that is an area that we have not been doing very well. The officers must be reminded that they must, at all times, operate within the framework of the law,” IG Kanja stated.

“Any officer who deletes out of that, then we've got nobody to blame because we will not take excessive.”

IG Kanja's warning comes amid rising public scrutiny of VIP security conduct, making his remarks especially timely, following the fatal shooting of youth mobiliser Cecil Ouma by a police bodyguard in Nairobi.

Police Constable Rashid Charo, a bodyguard assigned to Youth and Sports Principal Secretary Fikirini Jacobs, is the suspect in Ouma's killing , occurring in late June 2026 after a Youth Peace Forum in Nairobi's Kariokor area.

The scrutiny also follows repeated security breaches involving President William Ruto’s detail, including the Ganze security breach, in which a Bible-carrying civilian reached President Ruto's podium in May, making headlines and resulting in immediate changes to the personnel holding the role.

Beyond VIP security concerns, the IG Kanja also touched on recent developments in the police training pipeline, revealing that a new batch of officers is set to graduate from various police colleges soon, with the ceremonies expected to begin at the end of August or early September.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke