IG Kanja orders police changes after Ruto security breach

Title: IG Kanja orders police changes after Ruto security breach

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has directed an internal review and immediate procedural changes to presidential security arrangements following a breach during President William Ruto's official visit to Ganze in Kilifi County, sources within the National Police Service confirmed.

The directive was issued after an unidentified individual managed to penetrate the protective cordon surrounding the President during a public function in the subcounty, raising serious questions about the coordination between the Presidential Escort Unit, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, and regular uniformed officers responsible for crowd management at such events.

Kanja, who was appointed Inspector General in 2023, ordered that a formal inquiry be conducted to establish how the breach occurred, who bore command responsibility at the scene, and what systemic failures allowed a member of the public to gain proximity to the head of state without proper vetting. Accountability measures for officers on duty during the incident are expected to follow the investigation's findings.

Presidential security in Kenya is a shared responsibility governed by protocols that involve multiple agencies, including the Presidential Escort Unit under the General Service Unit and intelligence operatives from the National Intelligence Service who conduct advance threat assessments before any public appearance. Security experts say that coordination failures between these agencies have historically been a vulnerability.

The breach occurred as Ruto conducted what his office described as a development tour of the Coast region, a common feature of his presidential schedule in which he combines infrastructure launches with political outreach. Such tours routinely attract large, sometimes densely packed crowds that security teams must manage across fluid, often unsecured open-air environments.

The NPS had not released a formal public statement detailing the findings of the probe at the time of reporting.