The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, is facing a legal challenge over the management of the National Police Service (NPS) payroll. A petition has been filed at the Milimani High Court seeking conservatory orders to bar the IG, the NPS, and the Attorney General from altering or controlling payroll operations until the matter is fully heard and determined.
The petitioner is requesting the court to temporarily restrain the respondents whether by themselves, their officers, or agents from taking any further action regarding payroll management. The application also calls for the preservation of the current payroll status, including all data, records, and systems, without any alterations or deletions.
According to the petition, there is a looming risk of unauthorized alterations, deletions, or misuse of payroll data and records. Such changes, it is argued, could cause irreparable harm to the constitutional functions of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), compromise human resource processes, and potentially pose a national security threat.
The petition emphasizes that payroll administration is central to human resource management within the NPS. It serves as the mechanism for implementing and reflecting decisions on recruitment, promotions, transfers, suspensions, interdictions, and disciplinary outcomes. Any shift in its custody or management could therefore have significant consequences for the service’s operations and governance.
It is further argued that the NPSC, listed as the first interested party in the case, is the lawful employer of police officers and should have exclusive authority over payroll management. Unilateral changes in payroll oversight by the IG or any other party, without due process, are said to undermine the NPSC’s mandate and interfere with ongoing recruitment, promotions, and disciplinary procedures.
The petitioner warns that without interim protection from the court, there is a real danger that payroll management changes could be effected abruptly. Such a move could destabilize personnel administration, create confusion in salary payments, and disrupt operational efficiency within the police service.
The matter now awaits judicial consideration, with the court set to determine whether the current payroll system should remain untouched pending the full hearing of the petition.
