Hillary Mutyambai, the Inspector-General of Police, has issued new directives regarding evictions that are generally monitored by the police.
On Wednesday, April 6, the police chief told the Senate Devolution Committee that police officers will have to get permission from his office before carrying out court-ordered evictions.
Mutyambai had been called by MPs in Nairobi’s Pumwani Estate over a land dispute.
Given the outrage among Kenyans over illegal evictions, the IG stated that his office will liaise with the Attorney General’s office to verify the veracity of court orders.
“Court orders for evictions and demolitions must come to me, then I consult with the Attorney General’s office, which will authenticate them with me. This is to ensure that all legal criteria are met,” he explained.
Mutyambai issued the orders in response to senators’ concerns about the eviction of Nairobi Water staff from Pumwani, which was allegedly carried out without legal notice.
“No one has been able to show us the notice served to the parties involved since we began our investigation. No one has been able to show us the notice served to the parties involved since we began our investigation.We are not interested in a back-and-forth. Senator Moses Kajwang declared, “We believe the police should be a service, not a force to oppress the people.”
Mutyambai, on the other hand, defended his juniors, claiming that they merely obey court orders.
“Police do not carry out evictions; when we verify, we execute exactly what the court mandates.We only deal with civil issues under court orders because the police only deal with criminal cases,” Mutyambai added.
During the hearing, the police chief was pressed to explain why he had failed to appear at previous summons issued by the committee. Mutyambai claimed that there was a communication breakdown in his office, pleading with senators to forgive him.
“I received the Senate’s invitation late. When I followed the rescheduling routine, I discovered that someone in my office failed to deliver the message on time. I took administrative action as a disciplined force to remedy the issue in the future,”
“Please accept my sincere apologies, since it was never my intention to defy your call.” He said.
