EDITORIAL: New police chief must build on public goodwill

That Hillary Mutyambai has finally taken over as the new Inspector-General of Police following his swearing in at the Supreme Court Monday signals the turning of a new leaf in the police service, which has had to grapple with reputational risk over the years.

It is evident that Mr Mutyabai fairly understands the task ahead of him as Kenya’s top police officer. We can only remind him that the public, as well as police officers, have great expectations following his appointment and his success or failure will be determined how he handles these two critical constituencies.

Now that he has been sworn in, Mr Mutyambai must get to business immediately and set the foundation for his tenure within his first 100 days. If his predecessor managed to keep terrorist attacks low, Mr Mutyambai must not only maintain this tempo but also ensure that he outsmarts potential perpetrators before they wreak havoc.

If cattle rustling has eluded past police bosses, Kenyans still expect him to infiltrate and dismantle the networks of a crime that is increasingly assuming an international character and which has remained a thorn in the flesh of Kenya since Independence. Since he has pledged to crack down on rustling, this is one measure that will feature prominently in his score card.

Equally important, if campaign against corruption has to make any serious headway, he must give it life by rallying his resources and working alongside other investigative agencies to secure the prosecution of culprits and the recovery of stolen public assets.

It will not be enough for him to only just say the right things, especially on human rights or digitisation of police services. Kenyans expect him to demonstrate leadership by walking the talk. The public expect him to go full throttle in auditing state of affairs in the service to uncover other aspects of service delivery that Kenyans do not enjoy access to and ensure operations are streamlined. Mr Mutyambai’s appointment comes at a time police officers are grappling with cases of indiscipline and low morale. There are numerous reported cases of officers misusing their guns, aiding criminals and taking part in crime themselves. He should not forget that the public has consistently ranked the police as among the most corrupt agencies in graft perception surveys. This is a matter he has little choice but to prioritise. And even as he handles all this, Mr Mutyambai must give the listening ear that the force requires.