Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has announced plans to train 2,500 officers from both the Nairobi County Inspectorate and the National Police Service to form a specialised Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit. The initiative aims to bolster security across the capital city, whose daytime population exceeds seven million.
Speaking after a church service at St. Austin’s Church in Westlands, Sakaja emphasized that the training will be intensive and tailored to Nairobi’s unique security challenges. The new unit will shift focus from primarily traffic enforcement to broader security patrols and rapid incident response.
New Command Centre and Surveillance Enhancements
Kamukunji Police Station is set to be upgraded and expanded to serve as the headquarters for the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit. The facility will support the unit's operations as its command centre.
In addition, Nairobi will deploy an integrated citywide CCTV surveillance network connected to a new Traffic Management Centre (TMC) located at City Cabanas along Mombasa Road. This multi-billion-shilling digital command centre will incorporate AI-powered surveillance, police monitoring, and automated traffic enforcement systems.
The surveillance system will also integrate cameras from private institutions and businesses, enhancing crime detection and emergency response capabilities throughout Nairobi.
International Benchmarking and Cooperation
Governor Sakaja revealed that he and the Interior Cabinet Secretary recently conducted benchmarking visits to New York and London to study modern metropolitan policing models. Insights from these visits will guide the development of Nairobi’s security framework.
This metropolitan policing initiative is part of a broader Cooperation Agreement between the National and County governments aimed at modernizing Nairobi’s security infrastructure and improving public safety.
