Kenya's National Police Service (NPS) is the umbrella law enforcement organ in Kenya. The service was established in 2011 under Article 243 of the Constitution of Kenya, following dissolution of Kenya Police Force and Administration Police Force.
The NPS is under the overall and independent command of the inspector-general, who is appointed by the president and approved by Parliament. The National Police Service in Kenya employs up to 100,000 police officers and paramilitary personnel.
Composition of the National Police Service
The National Police Service in Kenya is composed of:
(1) The Kenya Police Service was previously referred as Kenya Police Force but was reestablished under Article 243 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Kenya.
(2) The Administration Police Service was known as Administration Police Force and was recreated under Article 243 (2) (b) of the Constitution of Kenya.
(3) The Directorate of Criminal Investigations was famously called CID for Criminal Investigations Department and was created Section 28 of the National Police Service Act, 2011.
(4) The Internal Affairs Unit is a new unit born through Section of the 87 (9),(10) of the National Police Service Act, above.
Kenya Police Service
The Kenya Police Service (KPS) is the primary security and law enforcement agency in Kenya. It is commanded by Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) who reports to the Inspector-General of the National Police Service, fields about 65,000 officers. The General Service Unit (GSU) is a paramilitary wing of KPS and has around 10,000 personnel.
This regular police service is backed up in arid and semi arid rural areas by the Kenya Police Reserve (KPR).
Administration Police Service
The Administration Police (AP) 25,000 strong, report to the Deputy Inspector General- APS. The AP started out as the native police who reported to the local village headman. In 1929 this was formalised by the Tribal Police Ordinance which also provided for their training under the oversight of the regional agents. Just like the Kenya Police Service, it is led by a Deputy Inspector General. Today the Administration Police is tasked with protective and border security as well as combating cattle theft and containing banditry.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations
Directorate of Criminal Investigation is a semi-autonomous directorate of the National Police Service responsible for investigating complex cases. It is commonly referred to by the initials CID. It is headed by a director who reports to the Inspector General of Police. Due to the sensitivity of the position, the director of the CID is appointed by the president of Kenya. The current director is Amin Mohamed Ibrahim, who was appointed by President William ruto on 15 October 2022 to replace George Kinoti who resigned. Before his appointment he was previously the national police spokesman based in the office of the Inspector General of Police. The CID headquarters are located on Kiambu Road, Nairobi.
General Service Unit
The General Service Unit (GSU) initially known as the Kenya Police Emergency Company, was established by the colonial government to battle Mau Mau freedom fighters (rebels) during the fight for Kenya's independence. It now has around 11,000 paramilitary of which 2,000 are trained by Israelis (Recce group) that forms most of the Presidential guard, VVIP and Diplomatic protection.
Departmental Agencies
Kenya Prisons Service
Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) is a department within the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government. KPS is established under the Prisons Act Cap 90 and Borstal Institutions Act Cap 92 Laws of Kenya. It is a uniformed disciplined service, headed by the Commissioner General of Prisons (CGP).
Kenya Prisons Service contributes to public safety and security by ensuring there is safe custody of all persons who are lawfully committed to its 129 prison facilities, among them Kamiti Maximum Security Prison. It also facilitates the rehabilitation of custodial sentenced offenders for community reintegration.
The current prisoners' population stands at 54,000 of whom 48% are pre-trial detainees whilst the remaining ones are sentenced prisoners. The staff establishment stands at approximately 22,000, consisting of uniformed officers.