Senior officer operated from a car park, police vetting team told

National Police Service Commission Chairperson Johnston Kavuludi during a past Press conference. A senior police officer was forced to operate from a parking lot after former police commissioner Major-General Hussein Ali locked him out of office for five months. PHOTO | FILE  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary

• When Mr Eregae came back from leave, he was never assigned any duties, forcing him to operate from his car.
• Mr Eregae was the first to appear before the vetting panel at the KICC Tuesday A member of the panel, Mike Harris, said he was appalled by the revelation.
• Due to frustrations, he decided to apply for early retirement but the then PS Francis Kimemia prevailed upon him.

By ZADOCK ANGIRA
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A senior police officer was forced to operate from a parking lot after former police commissioner Major-General Hussein Ali locked him out of office for five months.

The police vetting panel was told that when Mr Peter Eregae was redeployed from The Kenya Focal Point on Small Arms to Vigilance, Mr Ali said that he was never consulted and forced the officer to take leave for one month.

When Mr Eregae came back from leave, he was never assigned any duties, forcing him to operate from his car.

"I would remain in the car reading newspapers till September 2009 when I was appointed the deputy CID boss," said Mr Eregae.

"He (Mr Ali) appeared not to be interested on getting me on board," said Mr Eregae.

Mr Eregae was the first to appear before the vetting panel at the KICC Tuesday.

A member of the panel, Mike Harris, said he was appalled by the revelation.

Mr Eregae has served as the officer in charge of the General Service Unit (GSU) elite squad Recce, officer in charge of Quarter Master, deputy commanding officer at the GSU headquarters, and also the deputy Commandant, Presidential Escort.

EARLY RETIREMENT

Due to frustrations, he decided to apply for early retirement but the then Permanent Secretary Francis Kimemia prevailed upon him to continue working.

He was, however, not deployed until August this year when the Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo redeployed him to his office to be in charge of administration.

Between 2004 and 2009, Mr Eregae was the director of the Kenya National Focal Point at the Office of the President.

The second to be vetted was Mr Francis Omondi Okonya, a Senior Deputy Commissioner I.

Mr Okonya has served as the officer in charge of the Banking Fraud Investigations and also the deputy director of the CID. He was also the first head of the Flying Squad.

Panel chair Johnston Kavuludi said that for security reasons, the last part of Okonya's vetting would be held in camera.