NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 26 – The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is set to become semi-autonomous if the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) Bill is passed at the national referendum.
The Bill unveiled on Wednesday proposes to elevate the DCI’s office to be an arm of the National Police Service (NPS) with its holder becoming a Deputy Inspector General [of Police] who will seat at National Police Service Commission.
The National Police Service, as currently constituted, is headed by an Inspector General who has two deputies (in-charge of the Kenya Police and the other in-charge of the Administration Police).
Holders of the officers are IG Hilary Mutyambai deputized by Edward Mbugua (Kenya Police Service) and Noor Gabow (Administration Police Service).
Gerorge Kinoti who is the Director of Criminal Investigation falls under the two.
The BBI Bill now seeks to elevate the DCI’s office, making its holder a Deputy Inspector General of Police with powers to participate in recruiting specialist officers and allocation of budget.
“I am confident the process has been widely consultative and has captured the best of ideas and this is not the end of process, because Kenyans continue to express themselves and will make a choice through a referendum,” President Uhuru Kenyatta said when he launched the collection of sugnatures to endorse the Bill, alongside his handshake partner Raila Odinga.
The Bill also proposes to amend Article 246 of the National Police Service Commission Act” to harmonise certain functions of the Commission with the function of the centrality of command by the Inspector-General of police.”
Further, the bill seeks to amend Article 248 of the Constitution on Commissions and Independent Offices, to include the Director of Public Prosecutions as an independent office, in a move meant to enhance the independence and budgetary autonomy of the office.
The Bill’s signature collection exercise is set to take one week before the signatures can be verified by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
Thereafter, the BBI bill will be sent to County Assemblies for approval by at least 24 Counties- out of the 47 County Governments.
“I appeal to the patriotic Kenyans to come out in large numbers and append their approval so that we can conclude the exercise in record time so that we move to the next chapter, and I know Kenyans are not slow learners when it comes to seizing the moment for change,” Odinga said.
The President said the country was headed to the wrong direction, “were it not for the decision I took to work with my brother Raila.”
It was their March 2018 handshake that led to the BBI constitutional reforms.
“As your President who consumes first-hand information from a multitude of sources, if there was no handshake, this country would have been brought to its knees, the reckless aggressiveness of others, triumphant chest-thumping by others.. the handshake stabilized the country,” the President said.
