MPs pledge urgent support after exposing dire police challenges in Nandi
By Kiprono Keileb, September 17, 2025Members of the Administration and Internal Security Committee on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, conducted an inspection visit in Nandi County, where they pledged urgent support to address the challenges facing the National Police Service in the region.
During the visit, the Committee heard a detailed briefing from County Police Commander Thomas Ototo, who outlined key security concerns. He pointed to rising cases of assault, illicit brews, smuggling of goods, suicides linked to family issues and depression, land invasion, and illegal gold mining as major threats to the safety of residents.
The MPs were shocked by the poor state of police facilities in several areas of the county. In Chesumei, the Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) operates without an office, while the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) conducts its operations from a six-by-six iron sheet structure. Police housing in the area was also described as deplorable.
“We are facing a huge problem in Chesumei. The County Commander does not even have an office to operate in,” one officer noted.
Ototo explained that overlapping sub-county boundaries had further contributed to the stagnation of police infrastructure. “You can find a police station located at the border of two sub-counties, and in the end, no one wants to take responsibility,” he said.
In Tinderet, the Committee was stunned by revelations that officers not only use mud houses as police offices, but also live in them.
The lawmakers described the situation as unacceptable, terming it “unheard of” for DCI officers to operate from a makeshift iron-sheet structure. They directed that a comprehensive list of all police stations in Nandi County requiring urgent intervention be compiled.
The Committee Chairperson pledged to engage local Members of Parliament to prioritise the construction of police stations and improve facilities to ensure officers work and live in dignified conditions.
Other challenges highlighted during the engagements included a lack of vehicles, insufficient uniforms, inadequate fuel allocation, low remuneration, and issues around insurance and leave allowances. Officers also cited frequent transfers and a shortage of personnel as factors undermining effective policing.
Currently, Nandi County has six police headquarters, 22 police stations, three of which lack an Officer Commanding Station (OCS); 22 police posts, and 16 patrol bases.
The MPs assured police officers that their concerns would be taken up in Parliament, stressing the need for urgent action to restore dignity and improve working conditions for the men and women tasked with protecting citizens.