A tough job awaits Mr Hillary Mutyambai as Chief Justice (CJ) David Maraga witnesses his swearing in on Monday as the new Inspector-General of Police following his successful vetting by Parliament.
CJ Maraga will also swear in seven members of a tribunal President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed on March 29, 2019, to investigate the conduct of suspended Supreme Court judge Jackton Ojwang’.
The two ceremonies will take place at the Supreme Court of Kenya buildings in Nairobi and will be administered by the Chief Registrar of Judiciary, Ms Anne Amadi.
Mr Mutyambai will be the first to take his oath at 9am and head to his office at the Jogoo House ‘A’ building where his predecessor, Mr Joseph Boinnet, will be waiting to handover the instruments of power.
The members of the tribunal take their oaths at 11am.
OJWANG’ TRIBUNAL
The tribunal is chaired by Justice Alnashir Visram and comprises Justice (Rtd) Festus Azangalala, Mr Ambrose Weda, Mr Andrew Bahati Mwamuye, Ms Lucy Kambuni, Ms Sylvia Wanjiku Muchiri and Ms Amina Abdalla.
The tribunal is required to investigate the conduct of Justice Ojwang over allegations of gross misconduct and report to the President.
The allegations against Justice Ojwang’ are contained in a petition to Judicial Service Commission filed by Mr Nelson Onyango and eight others.
‘TRANSFORMED SERVICE’
Mr Mutyambai will become the country’s third IG under the 2010 Constitution. Mr Boinnet’s tumultuous four-year tenure came to an end mid last month.
He was immediately appointed the Chief Administrative Secretary in the ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.
During his vetting two weeks ago, Mr Mutyambai promised to improve the welfare of the police officers in terms of housing, salaries and other allowances if appointed.
He also pledged to change the tainted image of the service to ensure that professionalism, the rule of law and respect to human rights prevail.
The service has been accused of corruption, using brutal force when quelling lawful civil disobedience, extrajudicial killings among others.
According to Mr Mutyambai, a transformed service that is aligned to the best international standards is crucial to a country’s economic development.
“I will be practical in dealing with this. Many have come before me, found corruption and other vices in the service and left. I will make a difference through leadership by integrity,”
Mr Mutyambai told the committee. He holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the University of Nairobi.
MANAGING CHANGE
Mr Mutyambai rose through the ranks since joining the police service in 1991 until 1999 when he left at the rank of superintendent of police to join NIS.
The new police boss also has the task of actualising the merger of Regular Police with the Administration Police units.
He comes in hardly four months after the government directed that police officers vacate government leased houses from January this year and rent their own following the introduction of house allowance.
Junior officers in Nairobi say that the Sh9,500 housing allowance they are offered is too little once other expenses, such as water and electricity costs, are factored in.
The government had planned to pay those living in Nairobi Sh18,124, those in Mombasa Sh13,124, while those in Nakuru, Kisumu, Meru and Uasin Gishu among other counties, were to get a flat rate of Sh8,124.