IG Kanja Warns Police Housing Crisis Threatens Security

Inspector General of the National Police Service Douglas Kanja has warned that Kenya’s scattered police housing model weakens command over officers. He made the remarks during a site inspection of 188 housing units in Mombasa County that the government is considering acquiring for police officers along the Coast.

Kanja flew into Mombasa on Wednesday for what appeared to be a routine welfare visit. However, his remarks at the Bombolulu estate reframed the housing problem as a direct threat to operational readiness.

Police Housing Mombasa: Kanja Reveals the Command Problem

“The majority of our officers are living in rented areas where even the station commanders don’t really have control over them,” Kanja said, speaking at the Bombolulu estate. “Once they leave the duty station, they go back to their private rented areas, and that is not very good for security.”

In addition, Kanja explained that concentrated housing blocks allow commanders to locate, reach, and deploy officers quickly. The current model of scattered private rentals does not allow this.

“This is a strategic area whereby we can have a sizeable number of officers in one strategic area where we can deploy them at short notice,” he said.

Meanwhile, the housing shortage has also produced overcrowding. Kanja described officers across the country crammed four to a room, alongside their families. It is against that backdrop that the Bombolulu and Makande inspection carries its full weight.

What the Mombasa Inspection Involved

The government is eyeing two sites: one in Bombolulu and another in the Makande area. Together, they offer 188 units, comprising 88 two-bedroom units and 100 single-room units. Telposta, currently owns the Bombolulu property.

Kanja said he was satisfied with the condition of the units. “These are good houses as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I care for the welfare of our officers and I value their contributions.”

However, Kanja was careful to stress that no deal is complete. The site visit, he clarified, forms part of a formal procurement process. No transfer of property has taken place.

“We are in the process,” he said. “The site visit is one of the requirements of that process.”

Furthermore, the composition of the delegation signals serious intent. Bernice Lemedeket, the NPS Secretary of Administration and Accounting Officer, attended alongside AIG Richard Lesasuian, Director of Administration, Planning and Finance, both from NPS Headquarters in Nairobi.

Telposta Chief Executive Mr. Rotich hosted the inspection. The presence of the accounting officer suggests the financial machinery behind the acquisition is already in motion.

Broader Police Modernisation Plan Across Kenya

According to Kanja, the Mombasa visit forms part of a wider national agenda. The government is constructing and acquiring housing units for officers throughout Kenya as part of what he described as a major modernisation plan for the entire service.

In addition, police officers are among the beneficiaries of the President’s affordable housing programme. The government has reserved 10 per cent of units in that initiative for security personnel.

On the wider security environment, Kanja struck a confident tone. He said areas historically associated with cattle rustling and inter-community violence, such as Marakwet, were now calm. On criminal gangs, he was firm but brief.

“The National Police Service will not allow, will not even tolerate, gangs, goons, and all other criminals,” he said. “We have arrested many of them who are before the courts of law.”

Meanwhile, the question his Mombasa visit leaves open is whether 188 houses will meaningfully change a structural problem. Kenya fields a police service expected to provide round-the-clock security.

However, its officers scatter each evening into a city their commanders cannot track or quickly reach. As a result, the housing question is not simply about welfare. It is about whether the chain of command holds after the shift ends.