MPs demand official Nairobi OCS list after viral fake postings spark uproar

The document that lit up phones midweek looked official enough to scare a city already sensitive about who commands which station. It listed alleged appointments and transfers for more than 30 Officers Commanding Stations (OCSs) across Nairobi — Central, Kilimani, Kasarani, Lang’ata, Kayole, Dandora, Kawangware, Zimmerman, Githurai, Umoja and others — and implied ethnic favouritism in the postings, Eastleigh Voice reported.

The National Police Service later dismissed the paper after public concern. In a heated National Assembly session, legislators said the fake list was designed to promote ethnic profiling and demanded investigations into who manufactured and spread it. Leader of the Majority Party Kimani Ichung’wah said that after seeing the list online he contacted NPS, which confirmed the information was false and had no basis in fact. “As leaders, it is our responsibility not only to inform the country, but set the record straight and ensure that those with ill intentions of sowing discord and turning our country into turmoil do not succeed,” he said.

Official list as antidote — and cybercrime tools

Ichung’wah called on Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security chair Gabriel Tongoyo to table an official list of officers heading police stations in Nairobi County. Tongoyo said he had also seen the circulating list and engaged Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, who confirmed it was fabricated. “For avoidance of any doubt, we shall work with the IG to furnish an official list in this House to combat such malicious attempts threatening to divide this country,” Tongoyo said.

Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie warned against exploiting ethnic sentiments for political or personal gain and urged investigative agencies to use powers under existing law, including the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, against those spreading the misleading information. Crime desk: Crime. Verified: viral list claims, NPS denial, named MPs and IG confirmation of fabrication as reported. Publication of a verified official roster — and any cybercrime files — will determine whether the House actually closes the rumour loop.

For Nairobi residents, OCS names matter because station command shapes day-to-day policing culture. For national cohesion monitors, fabricated “lists” are a low-cost way to reheat ethnic suspicion without a single real transfer order. The antidote MPs proposed is transparency plus prosecution of disinformation — a pairing that only works if the official list arrives quickly and investigators treat ethnic-profiling fakes as more than online noise.

Based on Eastleigh Voice reporting of the National Assembly debate and NPS response to the viral OCS list. Official NPS gazettes or IG circulars control actual postings.