IG Kanja orders immediate interdiction of OB and duty officers after cell deaths
Key points
- IG Douglas Kanja ordered immediate interdiction of the OB recorder, cell sentry and duty officer whenever a death occurs in police cells.
- Directive aims at accountability after rising custody deaths, including a female officer found dead at Kisii Central Police Station on Monday night.
- He spoke while sensitising regional commanders on National Police Service Standing (Amendment) Orders, 2026.
- Every detainee must be treated in accordance with the law until arraignment; interdiction is pending investigation of the incident.
“Any death occurring in police cells, the OB recorder, the cell sentry, and the duty officer… must be interdicted immediately pending investigations,” Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja told regional commanders, Eastleigh Voice reported.
The directive hardens personal accountability for Occurrence Book entries, cell sentry duty and station command whenever someone dies in custody. It follows rising concern over station deaths, the latest cited being a female police officer found dead inside Kisii Central Police Station on Monday night. Kanja was briefing commanders and formation heads on the National Police Service Standing (Amendment) Orders, 2026.
Custody as a command problem, not only a tragedy
He ordered that every detainee be treated according to the law until arraignment — a reminder that cells are not punishment wings. Interdiction does not equal guilt; it freezes involved officers while investigators work. For families and IPOA, the test is whether interdictions actually open independent files or become internal theatre.
Crime desk: Crime. Verified officer roles, Kisii case reference and Orders 2026 framing from Eastleigh Voice; no national custody-death tally was published in the same package.
Station commanders now face automatic career risk when a cell death hits the OB. That only improves rights outcomes if investigations stay independent and timelines public.
Parliament and rights groups will watch the next custody death: are three officers interdicted within hours, and who leads the probe — DCI, IPOA, or both?
IPOA and rights groups should demand public lists of interdicted officers after each custody death in 2026. Without names and timelines, Kanja's order risks becoming another circular that stations ignore after the news cycle ends.
Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of IG Kanja’s commanders briefing. Interdiction is an administrative step pending investigation.
