Parliament to vet police IG nominee Japhet Koome
President William Ruto on Tuesday forwarded the name of Inspector-General of Police nominee Japhet Koome for vetting by Parliament.
A joint committee of Parliament will conduct the vetting of Mr. Koome, the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations, and the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs.
Mr. Koome was nominated by the President on September 29, 2022, to succeed outgoing Inspector General Hilary Mutyambai, who proceeded on terminal leave over health reasons.
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Mr. Mutyambai had six months left on his contract as Inspector General of Police. Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed him in April 2019.
The nominee, a former Nairobi county police commander, is the current Commandant of the National Police Service College, Kiganjo.
The joint committee will have 28 days from when it first meets to consider Mr. Koome’s suitability and subsequently submit a joint report to the respective Houses for debate.
Mr. Koome is the current Commandant of the National Police Service College, Kiganjo, and a former Nairobi County Police Commander.
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The nominee will now face the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence, and Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Affairs of the National Assembly for vetting.
The chairpersons of the two committees will co-chair the joint sittings, with the quorum of the joint sittings being the respective quorums of each of the committees.
“That, the vetting of the nominee for appointment as Inspector-General of Police shall be conducted jointly by the Committees of the two Houses mandated to deal with matters of national security,” read the statement from Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.
According to Standing Order 77(1) of the Senate Standing Orders, upon receipt of notification of nomination for appointment to a public office required to be approved by the Senate under the Constitution or any other legislation, the nomination shall stand committed to the relevant standing committee for consideration.
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Article 245(2)(a) of the Constitution provides that the President appoints the Inspector-General with the approval of Parliament.
The name will then be forwarded to Parliament for vetting for the appointment.
Section 12 (2) and (7) of the National Police Service Act states that the President shall, within 14 days after a vacancy occurs in the office of the Inspector-General, nominate a person for appointment as police IG and submit the name of the nominee to Parliament.
The President must nominate the candidate within seven days of the Parliament’s approval. However, if Parliament rejects the nominee, the President will propose a different candidate from the list of individuals chosen by the NPSC.
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