Court Suspends IG Koome’s Promotion of 514 Police Officers

The Labour Court has suspended the promotion of 514 police officers by Inspector General of Police (IG) Japheth Koome. The decision was made on Thursday, June 23, 2023, pending the outcome of an appeal contesting the legality of the promotions.

The appeal was filed by Senator Okiya Omtatah and activist Michael Otieno, who argue that the promotions were unlawful. They claim that Koome does not have the authority to promote police officers above the rank of superintendent, and that the promotions were made without the approval of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).

In his ruling, Justice Byram Ongaya said that he was suspending the promotions “in the interest of justice.” He ordered the NPSC to convene a meeting of all parties involved in the case to try to resolve the dispute.

The case will be mentioned again on June 29, 2023.

The promotions were announced by Koome on June 5, 2023. They saw a number of senior police officers, including General Service Unit Commandant Eliud Lagat, Deputy Director of DCI Nicholas Kamwende, and head of Investigations at DCI Abdallah Komesha, promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police.

The promotions have been met with criticism from some quarters. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has said that Koome’s actions amount to a “serious violation” of the Constitution and the NPS Act. The LSK has also called for Koome’s removal from office.

It remains to be seen whether the court will uphold the promotions or order them to be rescinded. However, the suspension of the promotions is a significant development in the case, and it will be interesting to see how it plays out.