President William Ruto has broken his silence on Inspector General of Police (IG) Douglas Kanja attending his rally in Nyeri.
Ruto, while commissioning the Kenya Police Housing Unit in Chuka, Tharaka Nithi County on Friday April 4 said people should not single out the IG alone because he was accompanied by other police officers.
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He added that the IG is at times represented by other police officers in various events, but they do not engage in politics.
“And for your information IG (Kanja) whenever you are not there, there are so many officers who represent you in those meetings and there is no difference, and they don’t come to do politics, so I don’t know what difference there is,” Ruto said.
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“In the meeting where I was in Nyeri there was almost another 300 police men all over the place why do you single out the IG?”
Ruto Defends Police IG for Attending His Political Rallies
Ruto mentioned that he was in Nyeri to hand over title deeds to citizens who deserved them, and Kanja attended the function.
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He questioned why people wanted to vilify the Inspector General for attending a meeting where they were serving the public.
“Many of them may also want to come and to go and raise an issue with this meeting, the IG is here because I am on a development tour on Tharaka Nithi County because it is my responsibility to do it,” Ruto stated.
“And in that process, we also have police housing units, and it is proper and right for me to hand over this building to the IG for the use of this houses.”
The Head of State went on to encourage other leaders in Kenya not to look at everything from the prism and lenses of politics.
“Between five years of electoral cycle, in between there is more important stuff to do as a government and as a people. You cannot do politics 24/7 or 7 days a week or for 12 months, the country will come to a standstill,” he said.
“There will be a moment for Kenyans to go to elections and we will find ourselves in campaigns. For now, we must engage in nation building. And in nation building, all of us, in whatever capacity, must participate from wherever we are in nation building.”
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LSK Demands IG Kanja’s Resignation
This comes after the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) demanded an immediate public apology from the Inspector General, stating that his conduct was unbecoming of the position he holds.
LSK further demanded that Kanja immediately withdraw from and refrain from engaging in any political mobilization, rallies, or discourse, especially in his official capacity as the Inspector General of Police.
In response NPS, said IG’s presence in Nyeri was strictly in line with his official duties, including oversight of security arrangements during the President’s development tour, a core mandate of the NPS under Section 24 of the National Police Service Act, 2011 and the NPS Standing Orders Chapter 7, Section 8.
“The Presidential Escort Unit (PEU) is legally tasked with protecting the President, visiting dignitaries, and other designated VIPs under the direction of the Inspector General of Police,” NPS said.
It added that since mid-March 2025, IG Kanja has been conducting an operational tour across Baringo, Samburu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Laikipia, and Meru Counties, focusing on impromptu inspections and strengthening law enforcement operations.
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