Murkomen, Sakaja Head to New York, London for Nairobi Metro Police Benchmarking

Murkomen, Sakaja Head to New York, London for Nairobi Metro Police Benchmarking

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Johnson Sakaja are set to lead separate government delegations to New York City and London next week as Kenya moves closer to establishing a Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit aimed at improving urban security and law enforcement in the capital.

The planned benchmarking trips come amid renewed government efforts to restructure policing within Nairobi County through a specialised metropolitan security unit expected to focus on smart policing, rapid response, and visible patrols across the city.

Speaking during an interview on Hot 96 FM on Wednesday evening, Sakaja confirmed that preparations were underway for the international visits, saying the delegations would study how major global cities manage metropolitan policing systems.

“Next week, there is a delegation to New York and also to London, led by CS Murkomen and me,” Sakaja revealed during the interview.

According to the governor, the Kenyan government has already initiated consultations with the New York Police Department, officials from the city administration in New York, the Metropolitan Police Service in London, and security authorities in Rome as part of efforts to shape the proposed Nairobi Metropolitan Police framework.

The proposed unit is expected to become operational by July 2026 following a directive by President William Ruto, although Sakaja admitted that achieving the deadline may prove difficult due to the complexity of the process.

“The president wanted it by July. I don’t know if we will make it, but we are trying to do it as quickly as possible,” Sakaja stated.

The Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit is expected to operate differently from the current structure of the National Police Service, with a stronger focus on urban crime management, technology-driven surveillance, and closer coordination between county and national government authorities.

Sakaja explained that while the unit would remain constitutionally answerable to the Interior Ministry, Nairobi County would oversee its day-to-day operational deployment and city-specific interventions.

“Just like in New York, it is under the mayor. On day-to-day deployment and strategic interventions, it responds to the city,” he explained.

The arrangement, however, is already expected to trigger legal and constitutional debate, particularly regarding the role counties can play in policing under Kenya’s Constitution, which designates security as a national government function.

Despite the expected scrutiny, government officials maintain that the new unit is necessary to address Nairobi’s growing urban security challenges, including organised crime, traffic disorder, petty theft, vandalism, and emergency response coordination.

Following a high-level meeting on the proposed unit earlier this week, Murkomen indicated that an intergovernmental committee was currently finalising the administrative and operational framework needed before the rollout.

According to the Interior CS, discussions are focusing on service standing orders, administrative structures, command systems, and standard operating procedures that will guide the specialised police formation once officially launched.

Sakaja further revealed that the unit would largely comprise young officers equipped with modern policing technology, including surveillance systems and mandatory body cameras aimed at improving accountability and reducing cases of police misconduct.

“We need to have visible patrols. Every 50 metres or so, you need to see a metropolitan police officer. We want to have patrol vehicles and a different management that is not like the national police service,” Sakaja stated.

The governor added that body cameras would become compulsory for officers attached to the metropolitan unit, with procurement expected to be jointly funded by both the national and county governments.

“To prevent harassment, they will have mandatory body cameras,” he said.

The proposed reforms come at a time when Nairobi continues to face mounting pressure over insecurity, traffic congestion, and public concerns about the effectiveness of existing policing structures.

If implemented, the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit could mark one of the most significant shifts in urban policing policy in Kenya’s recent history, potentially redefining how security operations are managed within major cities across the country.

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Murkomen, Sakaja Head to New York, London for Nairobi Metro Police Benchmarking