NAIROBI, Kenya — The newly established Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit (NMPU) will be operationalised in phases as the National Police Service moves to overhaul security management in Nairobi and selected areas of the surrounding metropolitan region, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has said.
The unit was formally established following the gazettement of Chapter Seven of the amended National Police Service Standing Orders, 2026, setting the legal framework for its formation and operations.
Kanja said the next step will be the appointment of a commander and deputy commander, who will take charge of Nairobi’s metropolitan security command and help establish the structures required for the unit.
The two commanders will also play a key role in identifying suitable officers, overseeing their deployment and coordinating training before the NMPU becomes fully operational.
NMPU to cover Nairobi and neighbouring counties
The metropolitan command is expected to cover Nairobi and selected sub-counties in Kajiado, Kiambu and Machakos counties, with the aim of responding to security and public-order challenges arising from rapid urbanisation and population growth.
Kanja said the growth of Nairobi and its surrounding areas, together with expanding economic activity, had created new security demands that required a different approach to policing.
The National Police Service benchmarked metropolitan policing models in other countries while developing a structure designed to respond to Kenya’s specific security needs.
Kanja spoke on Wednesday during a meeting with regional police commanders and heads of formations to sensitise them on the NPS Standing (Amendment) Orders 2026, Chapter Seven, which provides for formations, units and components within the Service.
Officers to undergo specialised training
Officers selected for the NMPU will undergo specialised training before being deployed to different sub-units.
Training will begin with senior officers and will be conducted with the assistance of external experts before being cascaded to other ranks through NPS training campuses.
The officers will subsequently be assigned to units based on their expertise, including the diplomatic unit, public safety unit, traffic unit, investigations bureau, security and patrol office and other specialised sections.
Kanja said the phased approach would allow the Service to properly establish the command structure while ensuring officers understand the mandate and operational requirements of the new unit.
“We will begin a phased operationalisation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit. I therefore urge you and your juniors to embrace the changes as we endeavour to better policing services,” Kanja said.
He acknowledged that structural changes could create uncertainty among officers but said the reforms were intended to improve efficiency, coordination and service delivery.
Nairobi askaris to work alongside police
The NMPU will also work with the Nairobi City County Inspectorate through a new enforcement unit.
Selected county enforcement officers, commonly known as Kanjos or askaris, will receive specialised training before being seconded to the unit.
The civilian personnel will wear uniforms similar to those of police officers but will remain identifiable through their name tags and insignia.
Their mandate, however, will not extend to policing services.
The arrangement is intended to improve coordination between national and county authorities while allowing each institution to operate within its legal mandate.
Officers may stay three to four years
Kanja said NMPU officers will remain transferable like other officers within the National Police Service.
However, he proposed that officers serving in the metropolitan command should ideally remain there for three to four years before being transferred.
He said allowing officers sufficient time in the unit would help them understand the area’s security dynamics, build institutional knowledge and establish trust with communities.
Wider police reforms underway
The establishment of the NMPU is part of broader reforms aimed at reorganising the National Police Service and eliminating overlapping mandates among specialised units.
Kanja said several structures have now been formally incorporated into the amended Standing Orders.
The Government Vehicle Check Unit, for example, has been established as a standing unit, while the Quick Reaction Force, which previously operated without a clearly defined structure in Nairobi, North Eastern Kenya and other areas, has now been formally anchored within the Kenya Police Service.
The reforms follow a review by a Technical Committee established to examine the structure, mandates, deployment and effectiveness of police formations, units and components.
The review sought to address duplication of roles, unclear command structures and weak coordination while ensuring the Service remains responsive to changing security threats and modern policing requirements.
According to the National Police Service, specialised units have now been more clearly placed within their respective services, with defined roles, reporting lines and operational responsibilities.
Commanders warned against parallel structures
Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations John Onyango warned commanders against creating parallel structures outside the approved framework.
“Commanders must avoid duplicating structures or assigning outside the approved framework,” he said.
He said the reforms should ultimately result in faster and more effective delivery of policing services and that police structures should be periodically reviewed to ensure they remain responsive to emerging security challenges.
The reforms are being coordinated by the Ministry of Interior and National Administration in line with the legal framework governing the National Police Service.
The phased rollout of the NMPU is expected to provide a more coordinated approach to policing Nairobi and its metropolitan region as the capital continues to expand and face increasingly complex security and public-order challenges.
