Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has shared groundbreaking details about the new Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit (NMPU), promising a specialized force unlike anything Kenya has seen before.
Speaking at a press briefing in Nakuru on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Murkomen explained that this unit, born from a cooperation deal between the Nairobi County Government and the National Government, will serve as a blueprint for the country. He revealed that the government plans to use the NMPU as a prototype for policing in Kenya’s other four major cities: Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Nakuru, as well as other rapidly growing urban centers.
“What we will do in Nairobi will become the prototype that we will apply in all the other four cities in the country and other upcoming urban areas,” stated Murkomen.
Murkomen noted that the prototype relies on a thorough comparison of how major global cities have redesigned their police systems. The approach incorporates proven methods and research insights to shape the new strategy.
“We are going to work on a very serious paper that looks at comparative analysis and studies of what has happened in other countries. Thankfully, there are other researches that have been done before. We are going to just review,” the CS said.
CS Murkomen also confirmed plans to involve Nairobi’s business community in the unit’s operations. This includes installing new CCTV cameras in business hubs and residential neighborhoods.
“We want to ensure that their CCTV systems are interoperable with the police one so that it is quick to carry out investigations,” stated Murkomen.
He explained that this integration will allow officers to gather evidence more quickly and easily when incidents happen within the city’s busy business districts. Beyond using private cameras, the government is upgrading Nairobi’s entire surveillance network. This move from NC3 to NC4 standards will significantly increase the system’s ability to process data and analyze information.
CS Murkomen added that Artificial Intelligence (AI) will serve as a core feature of the upgraded system. This technology will help police map out specific crime types by neighborhood, allowing for a smarter and more scientific approach to security interventions.
“Remember, we are also working on revamping the cameras that have been installed in Nairobi city. We are moving it from NC3 to NC4. So that we expand the capabilities of those cameras, the analysis, and input AI systems that can do a lot of analysis and tell us which side of the city has which kind of crime, so that we can have a scientific way of intervening.”
Inside the Tech: What is NC4 Surveillance?
The transition from NC3 to NC4 marks a massive leap in how the city monitors security. While previous systems focused on basic recording, the new standard introduces several high-tech layers:
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Interoperability: The police system would be able to “talk” to private CCTV cameras from shops and malls, creating a unified city-wide security grid.
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Predictive Analytics: Using AI, the system can identify unusual patterns, like a car lingering in a restricted zone, and alert officers before a crime occurs.
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Facial and Plate Recognition: High-definition processing allows for faster identification of suspects and vehicles across the sprawling Nairobi business streets.
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Real-time Response: Command centers can feed live video directly to the tablets or phones of officers on the ground, helping them navigate to an incident with full situational awareness.
The government expects the NMPU to fill a long-standing gap in urban policing. It recognizes that the security hurdles in a major city are unique and require a dedicated, specialized response. Once the government tests and perfects the Nairobi model, Murkomen plans to replicate it in Nakuru, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Eldoret before moving into other growing urban centers.
According to Murkomen, the unit was formally proposed on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, during the signing of a Cooperation Agreement between the Nairobi County Government and the national government at a high-profile state function.
President William Ruto, who presided over the signing, gave Murkomen a 60-day deadline to develop and present a full operational framework for the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit.