Acting Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli stressed that the National Police Service remains independent and its activities are not subject to influence by third parties.

In a statement, Masengeli claimed that the judiciary was trying to obstruct the deployment of security officers to judges.

He stressed that the NPS would not allow itself to be influenced in its work by any intimidation or coercion.

“In view of the foregoing, the NPS wishes to refute the allegations made by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) relating to the allocation of personal protection to judges and assure the country that the safety of all Kenyans, including judges, remains our highest priority.

“The NPS strongly rejects attempts to intimidate, coerce or otherwise undermine the operational and functional independence of the police,” Masengeli said.

He added that as Inspector General, he is the only person constitutionally responsible for the appointment, transfer and dismissal of civil servants.

“Accordingly, Article 245(4)(c) of the Constitution provides that independent command of the NPS shall be vested in the Inspector General of Police (IG) and that no person shall give any direction to the IG with respect to the appointment, assignment, promotion, suspension or dismissal of any police officer.”

“To avoid any misunderstanding, the Constitution, which other independent offices and branches of government rely on as the basis of their independence, is the same source of authority for the operational autonomy and independence of the NPS,” Masengeli added.

He was responding to comments by Chief Justice Martha Koome, who condemned the withdrawal of police officers under the command of Judge Lawrence Mugambi.

The CJ described the move as an act of intimidation and assured Kenyans that they would continue to stand firm no matter what happened to them.

“It is important to remember that judicial independence is not a privilege of judges; it is the cornerstone of justice for all citizens. Judges must be free to make decisions based solely on the law, without fear of retaliation or interference,” Koome said.

“Any interference with this independence puts our society at risk of sliding into lawlessness, in which rights are suspended and justice is undermined by intimidation.”

On Tuesday, Masengeli had clarified that Judge Mugambi’s security officers had been replaced by two VIP protection officers from the Judicial Police.

He stressed that despite their secondment to protect other state authorities, the security officers remain under the command of the National Police and that the Inspector General can transfer them at his discretion.

“In the case of Judge Mugambi, the two security officers are general duty officers. They were therefore recalled to undergo VIP security training. They were replaced by two VIP protection officers from the judicial police,” Masengeli said.