Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has unveiled plans to train 2,500 officers drawn from the Nairobi County Inspectorate.
According to the governor, the county government officers and the National Police Service will form the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit.
Speaking at St. Austin’s Church in Westlands after a church service, Sakaja explained that the specialized police unit would have its headquarters at an upgraded Kamukunji Police Station.
“The established police unit will have headquarters at the Kamukunji police station because we are building a modern station. We are going to have the first cohort of around 2,500 special officers of the Metropolitan Police Unit,” the Nairobi Governor explained on July 26.
The police unit will conduct security patrols and rapid response under the National-County Cooperation Agreement, according to the governor.
Training of the specialized unit officers will blend the training from the National and County government and from the police in a special training.
Officers in the Nairobi specialized unit will also have a different uniform that will be different from other police units in the country.
Further, as an initiative by the National and County government, the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit, Sakaja cited the benchmarking conducted to the NYPD, New York, the London Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police; he explained that Nairobi needed to change the deployment of police.
Following a meeting with President William Ruto and the ministers, the governor, alongside those present for the discussion and review of the submitted proposal, agreed to issue a legal notice soon to establish the police unit.
Also Read: Sakaja Outlines Next Priorities in Nairobi’s City Revamp After Cabro Works in CBD and Uhuru Highway
Sakaja on CCTV and Private Cameras
As the new specialized police unit sets to work in the county, Sakaja added that the unit will be using digital cameras to help in response and further the effectiveness of the unit, referencing that in New York there are 70,000 cameras.
However, due to the integration cost, the governor explained that, with the IC3 program, new cameras and an intelligence camera system under the South Koreans currently running the county will integrate private camera owners into the unit through Artificial Intelligence (AI).
As part of the integration effort of the specialized police unit, the officers will be trained to use technology to detect alerts in the county.
In addition, the unit will patrol to ensure residents’ safety and reduce cases of individuals trying to gate public roads due to insecurity in areas such as Lavington.
The rollout of an integrated citywide CCTV surveillance network will be linked to a new Traffic Management Center at City Cabanas.
Also Read: Sakaja Cabinet Approves Nairobi’s First Underground Railway
Sakaja Calls for Peace Ahead of 2027 Election
In addition to clarifying the specialized police unit in Nairobi County, the governor has challenged security agencies to arrest individuals accused of disrupting political meetings and rallies.
Citing the recent expose in Nyandarua County during the by-election, the governor added that the security agencies’ lack of action, despite the perpetrators being known through CCTV and media coverage, is encouraging goonism.
“Security agencies should put their money where their mouth is. We want to see action taken, not just words,” Jonson Sakaja stated.
Further, the governor emphasized that citizens and politicians should exercise tolerance and inclusivity as campaigns for the 2027 general elections continue.
According to Sakaja, every individual has the right to express themselves and exercise their democratic rights.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
