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Inspector General Douglas Kanja and DCI Director Mohamed Amin inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in Japan on June 10, 2026.
The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has provided an update on the implementation of the highly anticipated Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit, which will reportedly deploy highly sophisticated, intelligence-led systems to detect and prevent crime as part of a pilot effort to modernize the National Police Service.
Kanja made the disclosure during a benchmarking tour in Japan, where he visited the Japan National Police Agency and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The tour also included the Director General of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, among other officials.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department leads the largest police force in Japan, covering the entire Tokyo metropolis, including its 23 special wards, the western Tama area, and surrounding islands. The agency serves a population of nearly 14 million people while also policing millions of daily commuters in one of the world’s most densely populated urban regions.
By comparison, Nairobi is estimated to have a population of about four million people.
Inspector General Douglas Kanja, members of the Kenyan delegation, and officers from the Japan National Police Service during a street patrol in Tokyo, Japan, June 10, 2026.
In a statement on Wednesday, June 10, the National Police Service (NPS) said the benchmarking tour concentrated on intelligence-led and community-oriented policing, the integration of technology, and specialized operations for urban environments.
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The NPS added that creating a Metropolitan Police Command supported by strong community-based policing forms part of a key government initiative.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said the strategy seeks to improve urban security through a balanced model. He noted that the approach pairs specialized metropolitan capacity with ongoing community engagement and trust-building.
The NPS also observed Japan’s methods for coordinating emergency responses and preventing crime. It noted that data from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department show that the 23 special wards record roughly 70,000 to 75,000 total crimes each year among a population of about 14 million people.
Kanja said the crime prevention system will run as a pilot project, with the Metropolitan Police Unit serving as a model for specialized metropolitan policing in Kenya. He said the initiative is meant to strengthen security, maintain public order, address emerging criminal threats, and ensure the safety of the city and its surrounding areas.
IG Douglas Kanja and Mohamed Amin were joined on the trip by Assistant IG John Kamau, Internal Security PAS Beverly Orwopa, Musa Machooka, and Eunice Mueni, the Director of the Nairobi County Delivery Unit.
The benchmarking tour took place within a week of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s visit to New York.
Murkomen and Sakaja spent time at the New York Police Department (NYPD) to study intelligence-led policing, community engagement, technology-driven law enforcement, and specialised urban operations.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read the Full Story…
