These sentiments offered Kenyans a hint of what may have transpired that culminated in Koome’s exit on Friday, July 12, having served at the helm of the National Police Service (NPS).
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura on Thursday, July 18 threw a significant plot twist in the exit of Japhet Koome as the Inspector General of Police.
Speaking during a press briefing, Mwaura stated that President William Ruto had to let go of the police boss, contrary to State House’s announcement that the Head of State had accepted Koome’s resignation.
These sentiments offered Kenyans a hint of what may have transpired that culminated in Koome’s exit on Friday, July 12, having served at the helm of the National Police Service (NPS).
“President Ruto had let go of the immediate past Inspector General of Police, among other actions, being part of the broader efforts to reform and strengthen the law enforcement agencies. These actions signify a shift in policy, demonstrating the power of your collective voices,” he stated.
Former Inspector General of Police, Japhet Koome. /CAPITAL GROUP
Following Koome’s decision to resign, as reported by State House, President Ruto designated Douglas Kanja as the acting Inspector General of Police pending the nomination, parliamentary approval and appointment of Koome’s replacement.
Koome afterwards appreciated the NPS following his resignation, hailing the service for supporting him throughout his tenure.
“During the brief handing/taking over ceremony held at NPS Headquarters this afternoon, the outgoing IG Koome expressed his profound gratitude to the National Police Service Officers for the support they accorded him while he was in office and added that Kenya is a beautiful Country and bigger than all of us,” the National Police Service (NPS) revealed in a statement.
On September 27, 2022, Koome was nominated by President Ruto as the Inspector General of Police, moments after Hillary Mutyambai was confirmed to have resigned.
His tenure has come under scrutiny over the tenure of his reign at the helm of the police force, consisting of police brutality aplenty, especially during anti-government demonstrations in 2023 and 2024.
On the protests, Mwaura revealed that statistics from the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) showed a significant financial impact, with the taxman reporting a revenue loss of Ksh6 billion, a month since the protests began.
He also noted that the country has a huge tax hole resulting from the rejection of the controversial Finance Bill 2024 as well as pending bills from the 2023/2024 financial year.
“Overall, the country has lost approximately Ksh6 billion according to KRA as a result of the demonstrations, and fears are bound that if the protests continue the economy will have a negative impact in this financial year, and you know we have a huge tax hole as a result of the rejection of the Finance Bill of Ksh346 billion and the carryover of pending bills from the last year of about Ksh220 billion,” said Mwaura.
He appealed to the youth to call off the anti-government protests saying that President Ruto has agreed to their demands.
“As a government, we, therefore, make a passionate appeal to our children and our youth to reconsider their plans to hold demonstrations since what they were clamouring for has been acceded to and these demonstrations have been infiltrated by goons whose aim is to destabilize the country’s peace and prosperity,” Mwaura added.
Despite the government being open to dialogue, Mwaura urged Kenyan parents to speak to their children and introduce the concept of dialogues to avert the destruction of the country.
Kenyans during a past protest in Nairobi. /FILE