Inside Internal Police Order Demanding Immediate Compliance Across All Formations

The national security machinery and police strategy war rooms have been thrown into an absolute state of frenzy following a stern, internal crackdown order issued by Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja.

In an internal communication dispatched to all regional and county commanders on October 22, 2026, IG Kanja expressed deep concern over the alleged manhandling and arrest of Citizen TV journalist Francis Ode by plainclothes police officers during violent street demonstrations against skyrocketing fuel prices in Nairobi’s Central Business District.

Rebuking the rogue officers involved, Kanja warned that the incident—captured on widely circulated television footage—has severely damaged the image of the National Police Service (NPS) despite constant calls for operational restraint.

Issuing a stern, uncompromising warning to the entire police force, the police chief made it clear that individual officers who violate fundamental human rights and media freedoms will no longer enjoy institutional protection:

“Officers who engage in acts of professional misconduct will only have themselves to blame… The incident, captured in footage aired by the media, has portrayed the National Police Service in a bad light despite repeated reminders to officers to uphold professionalism in the discharge of their duties. All commanders are informed to disseminate this information to all officers under their respective commands.” — Douglas Kanja, Inspector-General of Police

The high-decibel intervention follows intense pressure from the Kenya Editors Guild (KEG), the Media Council of Kenya (MCK), Royal Media Services Editorial Director Linus Kaikai, and the Crime Journalists Association of Kenya (CJAK).

Media bodies had demanded an immediate apology, a full criminal investigation, and structural guarantees for press protection after officers assaulted and detained Ode while he was documenting public protests triggered by EPRA’s steep fuel price hikes.

Both the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and the NPS Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) have officially launched parallel investigations to identify and prosecute the officers involved.

These hard-hitting, high-octane security dispatches have instantly ignited a massive firestorm across newsrooms, legal oversight bodies, and campaign strategy war rooms nationwide.

As civil rights groups demand immediate criminal charges against the officers who assaulted the press, IG Kanja’s warning stands as one of the most volatile subplots shaping contemporary Kenyan power politics.

https://x.com/TheStarKenya/status/2113299294912430468?s=20

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