By Issa Hussein - Reporter
Kenya, June 03, 2026 - The government has announced plans to establish a Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit in a bid to strengthen security and address emerging crime threats in the capital and its surrounding towns.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the specialised unit is being developed in response to the increasingly complex security challenges facing Nairobi, one of Africa's fastest-growing metropolitan centres.
In a statement after a meeting with New York Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch in the United States, Mr Murkomen said Kenya is seeking to draw lessons from some of the world's most effective metropolitan policing models as it prepares to operationalise the new unit.
“As one of Africa's fastest growing metropolitan centres, Nairobi has in recent years faced evolving and increasingly complex security threats,” Mr Murkomen said.
“In response, we are establishing the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit, a strategic intervention to bolster security, maintain public order, combat emerging criminal threats, and ensure overall safety in the city and its satellite towns,” he added.
The Interior CS revealed that discussions with the NYPD focused on a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Kenya's National Police Service (NPS) and the New York Police Department to support the establishment and development of the specialised police unit.
According to Mr Murkomen, the benchmarking exercise is aimed at helping Kenya adopt best practices in urban policing and public safety management.
The government is particularly interested in learning from the NYPD's experience in intelligence-led policing, community engagement, technology-driven law enforcement, specialised urban operations, emergency response coordination and crime prevention strategies.
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“In our benchmarking visit, we are seeking insights into intelligence-led and community-oriented policing, technology integration, specialised urban operations, emergency response coordination, and crime prevention strategies, among other areas of interest,” he said.
The proposed Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit is expected to enhance coordination among security agencies operating within the Nairobi metropolitan area, which includes Nairobi City County and neighbouring urban centres experiencing rapid population growth and increased security demands.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns over urban crime, traffic-related security challenges, organised criminal networks and the need for faster emergency response mechanisms in the capital region.
Mr Murkomen was accompanied during the meeting by Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Kenya's Ambassador to the United States David Kerich, Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat and other senior government officials.
The government says the planned unit will play a key role in improving public safety and supporting Nairobi's position as a regional commercial and diplomatic hub.