Village tyrants: Ruto order sees the return of dreaded chiefs

President William Ruto has quietly managed to return the much-dreaded office of the imperial chiefs, which Kenyans wanted abolished through their views in the famous Bomas Draft Constitution. 

Yesterday, the President formally reintroduced the all-powerful location heads at State House. The President hosted close to 15,000 administrators from across the country, where he said chiefs and assistant chiefs are a crucial link between the government and citizens. The President pointed out that the officials are a key enabler of the government's transformation agenda. 

"It's your responsibility to inform the people what we are doing because there is a lot of misinformation and fake news on social media about what we are doing," the President said. 

Political pundits argue that the chiefs are being empowered because they will play a key role in mobilising support for the government as the country heads towards the 2027 presidential election. 

In the 1980s, chiefs were frequent visitors at State House, a practice that has since re-emerged. 

The chiefs attracted a lot of hate from Kenyans, and by extension the government, because they used to harass citizens by forcing them to register as members of the ruling party Kanu before the reintroduction of multi-party politics. 

They also used to roam villages accompanied by Administration Police officers to collect money and other valuables like chicken and livestock for government fundraising projects. 

“A drunkard in the village could be arbitrarily locked up at the Chief’s camp until their next of kin paid a bribe in the form of money or commodities like maize and beans,” says Eldoret-based retired high school principal Mwalimu Juma Zachary Opicho. 

It has also been argued that because of past experiences, the arming of chiefs requires public participation, because they are not supposed to appear as adversaries or brutal law enforcers in communities but rather as counsellors or advisors. 

Chiefs were appointed to be used for intelligence gathering and to “instil law and order”, which basically meant suppressing dissent. The opposition was also not allowed to hold meetings at the grassroots, and their supporters were identified and harassed through denial of government services. 

The administrators were therefore viewed as oppressors and village tyrants, and that is why the President’s determination to empower them again has been met with a lot of suspicion as to what their role exactly is under the current political dispensation. 

In 2003, delegates converged at Bomas of Kenya for a constitutional review conference and developed the Draft Constitution, which recommended that the provincial administration be abolished. 

It stated that: “On the coming into force of this constitution, the system of administration comprising sub-chiefs, chiefs, district officers, DCs and PCs, commonly known as the provincial administration, shall stand dissolved.” 

The conference was convened after the Constitution Review Commission of Kenya (CKRC) visited all sub-counties in Kenya to collect views on what they wanted changed from the old constitution. 

And upon deliberations, delegates also recommended that all administrative officers serving under the provincial administration vacate their offices and report to the Public Service Commission for redeployment. 

The new constitution envisaged by Kenyans provided for only two levels of government: the national and the county governments. The county government was to have the county assembly and the county executive, as currently constituted. 

Although the majority wanted the chief’s office removed, some Kenyans also wanted it retained. This was used as a campaign tool, which led to the institution being retained but extensively stripped of powers and privileges. 

Resistance to the new changes began under President Mwai Kibaki’s regime when, in 2012, he refused to assent to a Bill establishing county governments after Parliament resolved that district commissioners, district officers and chiefs report to the Governor’s office for redeployment in the spirit of devolution. 

By 2018, Kibaki’s successor, Uhuru Kenyatta, had however succumbed to pressure and redeployed all the 24,000 Administration Police (AP) officers attached to chiefs’ offices around the country. 

The APs, who were stationed at chief’s offices, were reassigned general duties and were to report to their immediate seniors within their jurisdictions. 

The chiefs complained bitterly, saying they had been left exposed and could not enforce their powers as provided for in the Chief’s Act 2008. The Act repealed the law but still gave them the power to maintain law and order in the villages, including restricting citizens from consuming harmful substances. 

The 2018 changes also saw chief camps turned into police posts, as the crestfallen chiefs largely worked from home. They argued that merging AP and regular police undermined their security. Those who had office spaces continued reporting to work but without the instruments of violence used for harassing citizens. 

Under President Ruto, it now appears the powerful chief, who used to send shivers down the spine of innocent villagers, is back with a loud bang. 

The President had long argued that the withdrawal of Administration Police officers by Uhuru was a major challenge to law enforcement and asked the Ministry of Interior to find a solution on how to empower chiefs. 

He claimed chiefs are best placed in managing security and enforcing the law within their locations and sub-locations, and that they should be armed. 

As a result of the order, in August 2024, a new police unit known as the National Government Administration Police Unit (NGAPU) was established to serve all officers in the former provincial administration. 

They include Assistant Chiefs, Chiefs, District Officers, Deputy County Commissioners, County Commissioners and Regional Commissioners, whose name was changed to National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs). 

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen says NGAPU will still be managed by the Inspector General (IG), through powers conferred to him by the National Police Act. 

Early this year, Murkomen’s predecessor Kithure Kindiki, now serving as the Deputy President, unveiled a plan by the ministry that laid out the roadmap for deploying 6,000 AP officers to the chiefs. 

It was to begin in January this year, with another 13,000 officers expected to have been trained later and also deployed, creating a 19,000-strong force. 

Senior police officer Charles Mutuma was recently appointed as the commandant of NGAPU. He was immediately promoted and now holds the position of Assistant Inspector General, reporting directly to the Inspector General. 

According to data seen by The Standard, the Rift Valley region will receive the highest number of APs, standing at 4,989, because of the vast size of the area and insecurity cases in the North Rift. 

Eastern will be allocated 4,060, Nyanza 2,720, Central 2,600, Western 1,800, North Eastern 1,540, Coast 1,440 and Nairobi 600. Chiefs are also supposed to work in liaison with local police officers in managing security. 

Last year, Prof Gitile Naituli told The Standard that the very powerful chief that terrorised Kenyans during the Kanu era was being brought back, although they will find the current political landscape completely changed. 

“They may be having the nostalgia of the past years, but Kenya will never go back to those dark days. They are now dealing with completely empowered citizens who know their rights,” said Naituli. 

President Ruto’s government has also announced plans to arm the administrators, in addition to allocating them at least five officers each. 

In August, Murkomen said over 8,000 chiefs and assistant chiefs were set to receive training in security management, conflict resolution and governance. 

Kenyans were therefore subtly warned that the pre-2010 constitutional dispensation was returning, because there will be 40,000 police officers roaming in villages.