Hilary Mutyambai’s nomination as IG approved by Parliament committee

The Joint Committee on Administration and National Security of the National Assembly and Defense and Foreign Relations of the Senate has approved the nomination of Hilary Nzioka Mutyambai as Inspector General of the National Police Service.

In a report tabled before Parliament on Tuesday and which is expected to be debated on Wednesday, the committee commended Mr. Mutyambai saying he demonstrated vast experience in policing, security, intelligence and investigation during his vetting.

“The nominee informed the Committee that he will fast-track the full operationalization of the forensic laboratory at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, for effective and efficient investigations of cases of crime,” reads part of the report.

The committee also noted that Mutyambai, who is the current Deputy Director Counter Terrorism at the National Intelligence Service, had not been charged in a court of law previously and has no potential conflict of interest.

“The nominee was cleared by the Credit Reference Bureau, the Higher Education Loans Board, Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Kenya Revenue Authority and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, therefore making him fit to hold public office,” added the report.

The 55-year-old, who has 27 years of investigative and law enforcement experience, promised to minimize the response time and focus on police station service delivery to members of the public.

“The nominee informed the Committees that he will serve the people of Kenya diligently irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds and that he will adhere to the provisions of Article 10 of the Constitution on national values and principles of good governance,” read the report.

“The nominee informed the Committees that he has experience and capacity to identify criminal elements and handle the emergence of criminal gangs.”

President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated Mr. Mutyambai to replace former I.G Joseph Boinnet – who was appointed the Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife — in an Executive Order dated March 13, 2019.

He appeared before the joint committee for vetting on March 28, 2019 during which – among other things – he vowed to serve the people of Kenya diligently irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds.