Boniface Ongeri And Cyrus Ombati
21 January 2008
Nairobi — The Government plucked more than 5,000 police recruits from class to reinforce a force overwhelmed by spiralling post-election violence.
Some of the 1,600 recruits were drawn from Kiganjo Police Training College that trains regular police officers and General Service Unit, while more than 3,500 were drafted from the Administration Police Training College, Embakasi.
By the time they were deployed on the streets, the recruits were still learning the basics of gun handling and how to deal with protesters, The Standard learnt.
They had no police force number to identify them and were only armed with truncheons.
A senior Government officer who, however, sought anonymity said the recruits had been adequately briefed on handling protesting crowds.
"The officers were also under senior police officers with experience in handling crowds," the source added, and exonerated the recruits from claims of extra judicial killings saying, "They were armed with no more than batons."
The officers will graduate in April when they will also acquire their force numbers.
One of the recruits described the post-election violence they were deployed to deal with as a baptism of fire. "We did not anticipate this very early in our career," the trainee said.
He added: "What started as a two-week attachment during the polling week to bolster peace has turned out to be a month and a nightmare."
Meanwhile, the Eldoret Police Commander and his CID counterpart have been transferred in changes announced by the Commissioner of Police, Maj-Gen Hussein Ali.
The OCPD, Mr Anjelas Karuru, has been moved to Keiyo in the same capacity while the local CID boss, Mr Shem Nyamboki, has been posted to Marsabit.
The new police commander is Mr Bernard Kioko Muindi while the CID chief is Mr Munga Nyale. Muindi has been the Mbeere OCPD while Nyale has been serving at the UN peacekeeping missions. The new Mbeere OCPD, is Mr Patrick Lumumba, who has also been in Darfur for peacekeeping missions. The changes have also affected officers.
Former Coast PCIO, Mr Patrick Obimo, is the new Commandant of the Kenya Airports Police Unit to replace Ms Beatrice Nduta, who proceeds for further studies. Obimo had been studying at the Kenya Army Defence College in Karen.
And Police Spokesman, Mr Eric Kiraithe, has denied claims that members of the police force from certain communities were targeted in the changes. He said police officers were under instructions as per the force standing orders to serve in any part of the country.
"They took oath to be deployed anywhere in the country and the claims of some people being targeted are unfounded," he said.
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