President Ruto disbands ‘criminal’ Special Service Unit
Kenyan President William Ruto says he ordered the disbandment of Special Service Unit (SSU) of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) because it had been used to spread terror against Kenyans.
Ruto made the remarks on Sunday at a thanksgiving service in Kericho County on Sunday, October 16, hours after the DCI announced that the unit had been scrapped following a directive from the Acting Inspector General of Police (IG) Noor Gabow.
The president pointed out that the police had deviated from their role of providing security to being criminal elements.
“They had five years which they used to run down the country in which insecurity had hit unimaginable levels with bodies were found killed in river Yala. The police had deviated from the role of protecting Kenyans to killing them,” said Ruto.
“That is why I gave an order that the SSU of the police be disbanded because it was killing Kenyans anyhow.”
The disbandment of the SSU under such a strong pronouncement from the Head of State comes as a great relief to many Kenyans who have lived in fear over deadly criminal elements that sit right within the ranks of the National Police Service.
Ruto’s acknowledgement of the unexplained killings in River Yala will also offer a shimmer of hope for many families who to date await police findings on the deadly acts.
To the many families affected and human rights group defender organizations, the president’s mention of the murders was the highest profile acknowledgement of the criminal acts since the cases first appeared in national media earlier this year. This could mean more information on the progress on investigations could be forthcoming.
In theory, the disbandment of the SSU also offers an opportunity to rid the police service of criminal elements and introduce accountability for the multiple police killings and enforced disappearance recorded in the past.
We hope the Service can take the step forward to hold all perpetrators of such acts o account and offer some justice to their victims’ families.
Missing Voices appreciates Ruto’s move and urges the presidency to stay keen on the quest for accountability within the National Police Service.
We hope the president’s act can trickle down to the boots on the ground, with the ultimate endgame of returning the Service to its role of being a security organ devoid of criminal elements.
