Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja are set to travel to New York City and London next week as part of efforts to establish the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit (NMPU).
Speaking during an interview on Wednesday evening, Sakaja revealed that the two leaders will head delegations to benchmark policing systems in the two global cities ahead of the planned rollout of the new security unit in Nairobi.
According to Sakaja, the Kenyan government has already held consultations with the New York Police Department, city officials in New York, Metropolitan Police Service in London, and security authorities in Rome.
The new metropolitan police unit is expected to begin operations by July 2026, although Sakaja admitted that meeting President William Ruto’s deadline may be difficult.
He explained that the proposed unit would operate under the Interior Ministry while still working closely with Nairobi County in daily deployment and strategic operations. The arrangement is already raising debate because policing in Kenya is constitutionally a national government function.
Murkomen recently chaired a high-level meeting on the project alongside Inspector General Douglas Kanja. The committee is currently developing operational structures, service regulations, and standard procedures that will guide the unit.
Sakaja said the NMPU will mainly recruit young officers and focus on smart policing through the use of technology such as surveillance cameras and mandatory body cameras for officers to reduce cases of harassment and misconduct.
The governor also said the city plans to increase visible patrols across Nairobi, with officers expected to be stationed regularly along streets and busy public areas.