Being a regional police commander can be likened to the olden days when there were Provincial Police Officers. The PPOs were like demigods during the old constitution.
But the new Constitution phased out the PPO role after abolishing the provincial adminstration.
Today, the Regional Police Commanders are in-charge of security in all the former eight provinces. In the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police, they are very powerful individuals who report to the Inspector General of Police.
Lydia Ligami is the only woman serving as Regional Police Commander. The powerful cop is in-charge of the Central Kenya region.
She had previously served as Nyanza Regional Police Commander before being replaced in her role by Karanja Muiruri in 2019. She would later be moved to the Eastern regional police command.
In 2022, following the appointment of Manase Musyoka as the new Nairobi Regional Police Commander, she was moved to succeed him in Central Kenya region.
Though Musyoka would never take over the Nairobi security chief position after being replaced by Adamson Bungei a few days later, Ligami took over the Central region assignment as security chief. She is the only woman to hold the esteemed position.