This archive report was first published on 5 January 2020.
January 5, 2020, marked the end of an era for the Flying Squad, a unit formed in 1992 to combat armed robberies, abductions, and vehicle theft in Kenya. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti disbanded the unit and its sub-units, directing officers to hand over police property in their possession.
The move comes after complaints from Kenyans and foreigners living in Kenya against Flying Squad officers in Nairobi. The unit's boss, Musa Yego, will also be retiring before the end of the year.
According to the DCI, some officers within the unit had gone rogue and were involved in crime. In a recent case, police officers attached to Kayole police station were arrested for introducing themselves as Flying Squad officers and being involved in a Sh6 million robbery in Nairobi's Eastleigh estate.
The new 'Sting Squad' will deal with the same crimes as the Flying Squad, including armed robberies, abductions, vehicle theft, and the sale and distribution of contraband and substandard goods.
"The Directorate of Criminal Investigations wishes to inform the public that after disbanding all the Flying Squad sub-units within the country, only the Headquarters Unit based in Nairobi remained," a statement released by the DCI on Monday stated.
"This marks the end of the Flying Squad Unit and no officer will present himself or herself to the public as such," the statement added.
The move has received support from some quarters, with an anonymous commander stating, "We support the move by the boss (DCI head George Kinoti) as we had become too large and less effective with time."
