Exit Kinoti, enter Massa as the new boss at DCI
Acting deputy director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations Hamisi Massa.
What you need to know:
- After serving the country for 30 years, Kinoti yesterday afternoon handed over the mantle to Dr Massa, who until his appointment in an acting capacity by the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), was the deputy DCI.
- Dr Massa, who was in May promoted to be the deputy DCI following the retirement of Joseph Ashimala, was for a long time the director of the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU), one of the main departments within the DCI.
- Charged with the responsibility of preventing the entry, export, trade or consumption of prohibited drugs, Dr Massa as the head of ANU has been behind some of the largest drug busts in the country in recent years including the extradition of the Akasha brothers.
George Kinoti, the would-be priest turned Kenya’s top detective, yesterday handed over the helm of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to his deputy Hamsi Salim Massa ending a tumultuous five-year period that started with a lot of promise but got caught up in succession politics.
After serving the country for 30 years, Kinoti yesterday afternoon handed over the mantle to Dr Massa, who until his appointment in an acting capacity by the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) was the deputy DCI.
“To all the detectives whom we worked together, I remain greatly indebted for your support as I wouldn’t have made it alone. I bequeath you a progressive investigative agency whose gains you should guard jealously for the future of our country and prosperity,” said Kinoti in his farewell letter.
“Undoubtedly, the efforts put in place by my administration in giving the directorate a human face and professionalising it to a world-class investigative body have borne the desired results,” he said.
Dr Massa, who was in May promoted to be the deputy DCI following the retirement of Joseph Ashimala, was for a long time the director of the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU), one of the main departments within the DCI.
Charged with the responsibility of preventing the entry, export, trade or consumption of prohibited drugs, Dr Massa as the head of ANU has been behind some of the largest drug busts in the country in recent years including the extradition of the Akasha brothers.
The head of the ANU not only tracked Baktash and his brother Ibrahim Akasha in 2017 but also flew with them to the United States together with senior detectives from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent (DEA).
While in the US, he swore an affidavit to an American court saying that it is the Kenyan government that ordered the “expulsion of the Akasha’s on its own volition”.
“No US government officials played a part in the Kenyan government’s internal deliberations and independent decisions resulting in the removal from the country of the two brothers,” he said while assisting to finally bring down the Akasha empire that had for 30 years ruled the narcotics trade at the Coast by bribing or killing anyone who came in its way.
Since then, Dr Massa’s star has been rising with his appointment as deputy DCI in May seen as the icing on the cake in preparation for perhaps bigger things.
His chance to properly prove himself finally came yesterday after the police service commission announced it had appointed him as the acting DCI for the next 14 days.
“National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has appointed Masa Hamisi Salim as the Acting Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI),” said the commission in a statement.
His appointment came just a day after NPSC announced that it would fill the vacancy created by Kinoti’s resignation competitively and asked qualified Kenyans to apply.
Despite existing provisions in the law on how the director of Kenya’s biggest investigative agency is supposed to be selected, this is the first time since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution that the DCI is being appointed competitively.
Kinoti, who came into office in 2018 as the 15th head of the DCI which replaced the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) after the passage of the 2010 constitution was appointed directly by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
His predecessor, Ndegwa Muhoro, was also appointed directly by President Mwai Kibaki on the eve of the promulgation of the 2010 constitution.
Section 30 of the National Police Service Act says that “whenever a vacancy occurs in the Office of the Director of Criminal Investigations, the commission shall, by notice in the Gazette and at least two daily newspapers of national circulation, declare a vacancy and request for applications.”
NPSC’s chairperson Eliud Kinuthia has asked all interested candidates to apply before Thursday next week. “Applicants must be citizens of Kenya, hold a degree from a recognised university,10 years’ experience in management and proven knowledge in criminal investigations,” said the chair.
Kinoti’s successor will be in charge of the Special Crime Prevention Unit (SCPU), Banking Fraud Investigations Unit (BFID), The Anti-Narcotics Unit, The Bomb and Hazardous Disposal Unit, Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU), Cybercrime Investigation Unit among others.
