DCI boss Kinoti hopes to promote efficiency with new rules

Mr George Kinoti, now the Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss, addresses a media meeting at Hilton Hotel on August 2, 2017. The DCI is core crime investigatory agency. However, for many years, its performance and professionalism has been dismal, always accused of shoddy investigations. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Heads of Investigations at regional headquarters will henceforth give weekly updates of serious crimes in their regions.
  • The DCI has also carried the unenviable tag of corruption perfected by the Kenya Police.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is reviving probes into past unresolved murders and robberies amid claims of large scale crime cover-ups by rogue detectives.

A directive from the DCI headquarters to detectives at the counties and police divisions across the country warns of laxity in the arm of the National Police Service that specialises in fighting serious crime.

It gives stern warning to County Criminal Investigation Officers and Divisional Criminal Investigation Officers, who may be tempted to conceal unresolved past serious crimes.

Besides murders and robberies, the directive says all shootings must be reported to the headquarters, with accompanying notes that explain the measures taken to fast-track investigations. 

“The DCI has noted some lapse in the accountability of above cases in their reporting, submission, investigations and follow ups.

"From the date of this signal all CCIOs and DCIOs will be directly accountable for all robberies occurring within their areas of responsibility,” it says.

PROSECUTION
The communication, dated February 6, also gives timelines to ensure investigations are disposed of promptly and suspects charged in court.

“Each CCIO and DCIO will personally give the status of every such incidents that occur within their area every two weeks to DCI, with a copy to director of operations, the respective RCs (Regional commanders) and the CCIO will ensure compliance of this directive,” the signal also says.

Detectives in charge of counties and divisions will also be required to give an explanation in the event a case is not in court within six weeks after it is reported.

“Every case that remain PUI (Pending Under Investigation) for up to six weeks, a duplicate file will be submitted to DCI through the CCIO and RC, with an explanation as to why it has remained in that status for such period,” the directive also says.

SHOOTINGS
It adds: “Every case that remain PAKA (Pending Arrest of Known Accused) for one month the duplicate file must be forwarded to DCI without failure accompanied with an explanation.

"From the date of this statement, the DCI has directed there will be impromptu inspections from headquarters to ensure and confirm compliance with this directive.”

Mr George Kinoti took over the DCI from Mr Ndegwa Muhoro last month.

Besides murders and robberies, he has also ordered that all shootings that occur across Kenya must be reported to the headquarters.

“This will include shootings which occur in the course of such robberies and murders which occur as a result of those robberies. The status will indicate whether the case is in court, under investigation or at the stage of hunting for the suspects,” the reports adds.

UPDATES
Further as a result of the directive, heads of Investigations at regional headquarters, formally known as the provinces, will henceforth give weekly updates of serious crimes in their regions.

“All RCs to give weekly updates on all cases within their jurisdictions in form of a signal on status,” the document seen by the Saturday Nation reads.

It further warns: “Any DCIO or CCIO who will be found to have flouted or disregarded this directive will face serious administrative action.”

The signal, basically a memo to rank and file in security parlance, bears indications of efforts to redeem the investigations arm of the police that in its heyday was considered the best in Africa.

Many cases investigated by its detectives in recent past have been thrown out by courts after magistrates and judges cited shoddy investigations.

INQUEST
At times, the Directorate was at loggerheads with the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, because the latter kept on returning case files, after identifying loopholes in investigations.

The DCI has also found itself in an embarrassing situation where in spite of decades of experience, new State agencies formed after 2010 and with investigative powers have produced better cases in court.

For instance, when detectives investigated the killing of 14-year-old school girl Kwekwe Mwandaza at her parent’s home on August 22, 2014 in Kwale, the DCI officers recommended an inquest.

Such an inquest is carried out after investigators are unable to crack a case and net the culprits.

However, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority moved in with speed and in weeks, tabled evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions with recommendations that two police officers involved with the shooting be charged.

The court weighed the evidence and jailed the officers for seven years.

The sentence was upheld by the Court of Appeal in February last year.

CORRUPTION
The case revived the debate that police are always ready to cover for their colleagues, one of the reasons IPOA was established.

The DCI, formerly the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), has also carried the unenviable tag of corruption perfected by its sister arm, the Kenya Police.

The National Police Service has been ranked the most corrupt government agency by credible reports produced over the years.

Within NPS, the DCI comprises some of the most specialised police units and squads.

They include the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, Banking Fraud Unit, Special Crime Prevention Unit and the Flying Squad.

The cybercrime unit, the homicide unit and the bomb squad situated at the headquarters on Kiambu Road in Nairobi complete the outfit.

These are also affected by the new directive.

FLYING SQUAD
Dismantling the dreaded Flying Squad on February 1 has so far been the most radical move by Mr Kinoti.

Officers serving in the unit across the country were also ordered to return all police property in their possession including handcuffs and uniform.

The plan is to reorganise the unit afresh by staffing it with untainted and retrained police officers from the General Service Unit and other formations.

The decision was made after numerous robbery complaints were received from the public and initial investigations showed collusion with the officers.

These changes come at a time the government is investing heavily to revamp the police service.

Civil works at a forensic laboratory at DCI headquarters are set for completion at the headquarters in March, after which state-of-art equipment worth billions of shillings will be installed.

The lab is long overdue since it was initially set for completion in the 1990s.

But scandals that marred its construction, including the Anglo-Leasing scandal made it difficult to realise the dream.