The Inspector General of the National Police Service, Mr Douglas Kanja Kirocho, was appointed by President William Samoei Ruto in 2024, following parliamentary approval, to serve a four-year term as stipulated under Article 245 of the Constitution of Kenya.
That constitutional reality alone should settle the debate. Those salivating for his position should cut their nails and trim their hair because politicising a constitutional appointment is a waste of time.
The office of the Inspector General is not a political trophy to be grabbed by the loudest crowd or by those who believe street pressure can replace constitutional processes.
The Inspector General is not a village elder. He is the head of the National Police Service, the institution charged with securing the lives and property of Kenyans. When politicians recklessly attack the IG, what they are doing—knowingly or unknowingly—is weakening the entire security architecture of the country.
Kenya cannot afford that.
IG Kanja was appointed to replace former Inspector General Japhet Koome, who resigned in 2024. The President made a deliberate decision to return the position to Mt Kenya. This was not an accident. It was a political and national balancing act meant to stabilise the government, reassure key constituencies, and ensure the country remained united.
President Ruto was not mad when he appointed Douglas Kanja.
And it should sink in to those campaigning for his removal that, unless a constitutional process dictates otherwise, he is the one expected to oversee the 2027 General Election.
That is why the noise we are hearing today is not genuine concern about policing. It is pure politics.
The IG’s Role is Bigger Than Politics
The Inspector General’s job is not to please politicians. It is to protect the Republic.
The IG must manage:
national security threats,
public demonstrations,
crime prevention,
police reforms,
intelligence coordination,
border safety,
and election security.
It is the IG who ensures that when Kenyans go to sleep at night, they do so under the assurance that the State is functioning. It is also the IG who ensures that when Kenyans go to vote, the process is protected from intimidation, violence, and chaos.
That is why this office must be insulated from blackmail and tribal propaganda.
Kenya has suffered before when policing becomes a political battleground. When leaders start portraying the police as enemies, they create conditions where lawlessness thrives, criminal gangs grow bold, and opportunists exploit confusion.
It is irresponsible for any leader—whether in government or opposition—to incite the public against the police simply because they want to score political points.
IG Kanja has been tasked with restoring public confidence in the police service at a time when the institution was under heavy scrutiny.
He inherited a service battling
public mistrust,
pressure from politicians,
rising crime in urban centres,
and the growing challenge of organised criminal networks.
Yet, despite the pressure, the IG has remained firm. He has shown that policing must remain professional and guided by the Constitution, not by political moods.
Whether it is managing public order, responding to insecurity, or handling national events, IG Kanja has demonstrated that the police service must remain functional, disciplined, and predictable.
The opposition wants him to fail, not because they care about Kenyans, but because they want a scapegoat.
The Opposition’s Plan is Clear
The ongoing scheme by the former impeached Deputy President, together with other opposition leaders, seeking the removal of IG Kanja is nothing but political theatre.
We understand their plan clearly.
They want Kanja removed so that when his successor is appointed from another region, they can climb on top of vehicles, shout tribal propaganda, and claim that President Ruto has chased away all sons and daughters of Mt Kenya from government.
Kenyans are not fools.
This is cheap politics designed to manufacture outrage and rally tribal emotions for 2027.
The truth is simple: the opposition has no agenda strong enough to compete with development. That is why they are obsessed with destabilising institutions instead of presenting solutions.
If Kenya is serious about stability, then the Inspector General must be accorded support—not just by the President, but by Parliament, by independent institutions, and by citizens of goodwill.
Supporting the IG does not mean shielding him from accountability.No,it means refusing to allow politicians to weaponise security institutions for selfish political ends.
It means recognising that the police service is a national institution, not a political tool.
It means understanding that you cannot demand peace while simultaneously undermining the very office responsible for enforcing law and order.
A country that disrespects its security leadership invites instability and instability is always expensive.
For now,instead of being obsessed with IG Kanja and unnecessarily stage-managing chaos to later blame the police, I would ask former impeached D.O Rigathi Gachagua to stop invading churches for politics, stop gatecrashing burials where he is not invited, and stop causing traffic jams in busy markets simply to create the impression of a following.
If he believes he has support, let him be man enough to hold an open political rally in a field or a stadium.Kenyans are tired of leaders who specialise in noise, drama and blame games.
I urge President Ruto and the Deputy President to ignore the noise from a confused opposition and instead focus on delivering the promises made to Kenyans.
In 2027, we shall ensure that not a single vote from Mt Kenya is lost. We will guard the vote and we will win by a landslide.
The truth is that Gachagua and his allies know very well William Ruto will defeat them very early in the morning.
That is why they are busy manufacturing excuses in advance to sell to Kenyans after their inevitable defeat.
But Kenyans will not be fooled.j
IG Douglas Kanja must be allowed to do his job,the constitution respected.
And Kenya must remain stable.
