Nairobi City Council officers, otherwise known as ‘Kanjo’, are set to undergo a complete makeover.
The inspectorate officers will receive new look uniforms and biometric cards with their bio-data for easier identification in the makeover which will cost the county approximately Sh80 million.
According to the Standard, the officers and other county employees are also undergoing a culture change training to shed off the old ‘Kanjo’ mentality.
Nairobi County Secretary Robert Ayisi last week confirmed that the tendering process on the uniforms had begun.
“We had gazetted the acquisition of the new uniforms and even set aside money in the budget for the same. We got approval and we are now fast-tracking procurement of the same,” said Ayisi.
He said the biometric cards had already been procured and issued to a few members of staff on a trial basis.
[showad block=6]
The cards will help city residents in identifying genuine and bogus county askaris.
The rebranding of the city inspectorate will also see some 650 new officers, including firefighters, take charge of security operations in the county.
Ayisi said Governor Evans Kidero had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Police Service Commission and the county government that would see the police service take charge of the recruitment process.
“We are currently in the process of recruiting 650 new inspectorate officers and firemen to ensure efficiency in the security operations in Nairobi. Most of the firemen now are not able to respond to emergencies when need arises and that is why we need a change,” said Ayisi.
He added that the police service will train the new officers before commencing their duties.
