NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 5 – A viral claim suggesting Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki had promised, during his House approval, to roll out pocketless police uniforms is false.
The claim which surfaced in November 2022 days after Kindiki’s assumption of the powerful interior docket gained prominence after a quote tweeted by a Murang’a-based politician Pius Kinuthia fondly referred to by Opposition leader Raila Odinga as “my boy.”
Kinuthia who unsuccessfully vied for the Murang’a senatorial seat in the 2022 General Election shared the alleged claim as a quote attributed to Kindiki in a tweet that attracted nearly 500 retweets and hundreds other engagements.
A look through Kindiki’s submission at the approval hearing before the House Departmental Committee on Security and National Administration however revealed no such commitment was made by the then nominee for Interior and National Administration.
The CS who was sworn in on November 27 denied making such a commitment in a Facebook post published on November 3, 2022.
“Ignore fake news tailored to portray [sic] our police officers negatively,” the CS stated.
A vast Majority of our Police officers are diligent and professional. The government, through the Ministry of Interior and the National Police Service Commission will continue to empower and equip our officers to combat crime and ensure all Kenyans and their properties are safe and secure. Ignore any fake news, tailored to potray our Police officers negatively.
MINA CS Prof Kithure Kindiki | November 3, 2022 via Facebook.
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration (MINA) also sent out a joint tweet with the National Police Service (NPS) denying the claims as misleading.
MINA and NPS promised continued efforts to: “continue to prioritize reforms that dignify the Police and complement their capacities for an effective discharge of their duties.”
