Former Assistant Inspector General of Police King’ori Mwangi has passed away.
His family in a statement sent to newsrooms announced the news, adding that he died while receiving treatment at a Nairobi Hospital.
“We wish to inform the public of the death of King’ori Mwangi, a retired police officer. Kingori passed on this morning at a Nairobi hospital where he was receiving treatment. The family will update the public on the burial plans,” the statement read.
King’ori has had a long-standing career in the National Police Service and has held several senior positions before his retirement.
As part of his career, Mwangi served as the Assistant Inspector General and even came close to becoming the IG in the 2010s.
Mwangi also served as the Nairobi Provincial Police Officer (PPO), a position he also held in Coast and Western regions.
He became a PPO at the age of 37 which was considered young for the position and ended up supervising older officers who worked under him.
This, in turn, subjected him to frequent opposition from his rivals within the Police force.
At the time, PPOs were the heads of police in the provinces which were the biggest regional administration units.
Prior to his retirement, King’ori had a brief stint at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cap his long-standing and decorated career in the public service.
However, his career was marred with several controversies that from time-to time thrust him to the limelight.
In July 2021, for example, King’ori Mwangi received backlash after he allegedly caused an accident in Nairobi that left two pedestrians critically injured.
King’ori Mwangi History with Controversy
Mwangi was accused of ramming into two pedestrians while driving on the wrong side to beat traffic at the Carnivore Grounds junction in Lang’ata.
The story gained prominence within Kenyan spaces, with social media users calling him out for violating traffic rules.
At the time, he narrowly managed to escape from an angry mob comprising boda boda riders who had roughed him up.
In his defense, however, Mwangi refuted claims that he was driving on the wrong side and affirmed that the accident was caused by a miscalculation from the pedestrian’s side.
He affirmed that he was rushing a pregnant woman to a hospital when the accident happened and explained that he tried his best to prevent the accident.
But perhaps his most memorable time in the history of the Kenya Police Service is when he refused to withdraw the security detail attached to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his spouse Ida Odinga in 2013.
According to reports, some forces within government wanted the security attached to Raila withdrawn after his decision to dispute the 2013 election results.
But a firm Mwangi refused to oblige maintaining that the two were entitled to state protection.
King’ori Accused of Misconduct in Vetting Exercise
In 2014 when senior police officers were subjected to an intensive vetting exercise, Mwangi also caught the nation’s attention after reports that he was among the big names lined up for a purge.
The former Assistant IG had been accused of conducting himself in a violent manner while appearing before the Johnstone Kavulundi-led National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
But he was later cleared from the list of officers facing purge in the exercise with the NPSC noting that he apologized for his conduct.
“The commission had noted that when King’ori Mwangi first appeared before it, he conducted himself in a manner that was disrespectful. In the subsequent interview however, the officer tendered his apology to the commission,” the Commission said in a statement.