Tough questions await Koome as he faces vetting panel today
Mr Japheth Koome, President William Ruto’s nominee for Inspector-General of Police, will today face a parliamentary vetting committee amid a standoff between the government and the opposition Azimio coalition over a solution to extra-judicial killings by the police.
Mr Koome is expected to appear before the joint Committee of the National Assembly on Administration and Internal Security and the Senate Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations, where he will answer questions on his suitability.
The vetting comes when President Ruto and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga have locked horns over the ongoing investigation on extra-judicial killings, with the ODM leader asking the government to consider services of foreign detectives to help investigate unresolved murders of prominent Kenyans including former ICT manager at IEBC Chris Msando and businessman Jacob Juma.
Mr Koome could also face tough questions over his past in the National Police Service, especially when he served as the Nairobi regional police commander.
Kenyans were given 10 days to submit memoranda to Parliament on his suitability for appointment to the position.
Among issues that are likely to come up are his role in the killing of five opposition National Super Alliance (Nasa) supporters on November 17 when Mr Odinga returned to the country from a 10-day trip to the US and Europe. Mr Koome served as the Nairobi police boss.
Nasa supporters
At the time, dozens of Nasa supporters were injured as police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a mob that received Mr Odinga at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and escorted his motorcade to the city centre.
Mr Koome is also expected to explain how he plans to handle the thorny issue of extra-judicial killings, at a time the Special Service Unit (SSU) was disbanded following its alleged role in past executions.
Key among the matters expected is human rights violations by police officers, particularly enforced disappearances and killings, some of which occurred during his term as Nairobi police chief.
One infamous incident is the April 2017 execution of two teenagers in Eastleigh, in full view of the public, by a man identified as a police officer from the Pangani Police Station.
As the clip of the shooting made the rounds on social media, the shooter was identified as a member of a police unit known as Pangani Six who reportedly had shoot-to-kill orders against suspected criminals.
Execute the teenagers
Allegations later emerged that the orders to execute the teenagers came from senior police officers.
At the time, the Nairobi police commander was Mr Koome, though it is not clear if he was directly involved.
The killings were seen by rights groups as a deliberate move by the top police officers in Nairobi to send a message to criminals on what awaited them.
“I will kill many more,” the police boss told the Daily Nation in a recorded phone call shortly after the Eastleigh incident.
Mr Koome accused the teenagers of belonging to an armed gang behind the killing of two police officers.
He said a corporal based in Kayole had been killed a week earlier.
Another officer, Mr Koome said, was killed in Soweto on the night of March 31, a few hours before the teenagers were executed.
“Yesterday, I buried an officer killed by the same gangsters. Another was shot dead in Kayole. Now I have to bury another officer,” Mr Koome said then.
Until his nomination as IG to replace Hilary Mutyambai, Mr Koome served as the commandant of the National Police Service College, Kiganjo.
The chairpersons of the two committees will today co-chair the joint sittings with the quorum of the joint sittings being the respective quorums of each of the committees.
Approval of Parliament
Article 245(2) (a) of the Constitution provides that the inspector-general is appointed by the President with the approval of Parliament.
The name will then be forwarded to Parliament for vetting for appointment.
Section 12 (2) and (7) of the National Police Service Act states that the President shall, within 14 days after a vacancy occurs in the office of the Inspector- General, nominate a person for appointment as inspector-general and submit the name of the nominee to Parliament.
Thereafter, Parliament shall, within 14 days when it first meets after receiving the names of the nominee, consider the suitability of the nominee.
President Ruto has also directed the Independent Police Oversight Authority (Ipoa) to furnish the Interior Ministry with a roadmap on how to end extra-judicial killings in Kenya.
"You are uniquely qualified to help us define a mechanism to stop this practice," he said.
Ipoa announced that it was investigating 112 cases of enforced disappearance and cases of police officers accused of extrajudicial killings, as it assured Kenyans that most of the cases had already been concluded and the next step was charging the accused in court.
“Ipoa continues to face challenges of non-cooperation by some members of the National Police Service (NPS). In view of this, the authority wishes to affirm that it will invoke the provisions of section 31 of the Ipoa Act. Further, in instances where it is evidenced, the authority will invoke individual or command responsibility to ensure accountability,” said Ms Ann Makori, the Ipoa chairperson.
