The government's plan to introduce a specialised police unit for Nairobi has entered a new phase after Kamukunji Police Station was identified as the proposed headquarters, with construction of the facility expected to start in August.
The station will be redeveloped into a modern security complex bringing together operational offices, police housing and the Integrated Command and Communication Centre (IC4), which will coordinate communication, surveillance and emergency operations across Nairobi City County.
The decision was reached after a site inspection led by Secretary for Internal Security Thomas Sakah, who headed a multi-agency technical team tasked with assessing whether the station was suitable for the project.
The team included officers and officials from the Kenya Defence Forces, Kenya Police Service, Administration Police Service, Nairobi City County Government and the State Department for Housing and Urban Development.
The government said Kamukunji was chosen because of its location within one of Nairobi's busiest commercial zones, an area that mirrors the city's position as Kenya's commercial and financial centre while also facing growing urban security demands.
Once complete, the headquarters will become the command centre of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit, housing command operations, communication systems and accommodation for officers under one facility.
The project is part of wider efforts to operationalise the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit, weeks after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen received a progress update from the technical team overseeing its establishment.
The ministry said the team was at the final stage of preparing the unit's operational framework while ensuring officers receive the equipment and training needed to tackle emerging security threats and strengthen collaboration with communities.
The government has said the specialised unit is expected to provide a new model for policing major urban areas, with similar units planned for other cities in the future.
The plans trace back to February when President William Ruto directed the establishment of the Nairobi Metropolitan Police Unit to address changing security needs in one of Africa's fastest-growing metropolitan areas.
Earlier this month, the President announced that implementation of the Nairobi Metropolitan Policing Framework would begin in the coming days after reviewing progress made by officials from the Ministry of Interior, the National Police Service and the Nairobi City County Government.
The framework is designed to improve cooperation between residents, community leaders, security agencies and the county government through community policing, intelligence-led operations and stronger accountability.
The government has also announced that officers serving in the specialised unit will use body-worn cameras, improved surveillance systems and other smart policing technologies to enhance public safety and emergency response.
The framework was informed by benchmarking visits by senior government officials and police commanders to metropolitan police services in New York, London, Rome and Tokyo, where they examined urban policing, emergency response, community engagement and technology-driven crime prevention.