National Police Launch Induction Course to Strengthen Disaster Management Capacity Across Counties

The National Police Service (NPS) has launched a five-day National Network of Formation and County Coordinators Induction Course at the National Police Leadership Academy (NPLA) in Ngong, aimed at strengthening Kenya’s capacity for coordinated disaster response and management.

The course was officially opened by Dr. Duncan Onyango Ochieng, AIG, the Director of the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), who represented the Deputy Inspector-General of the Kenya Police Service, Mr. Eliud Lagat.

The training brings together police officers drawn from all 47 counties and key police formations, with the goal of creating a permanent national network of trained incident commanders capable of leading multi-agency responses to emergencies across the country.

Speaking on behalf of Mr. Lagat, Dr. Ochieng said the course marks an important milestone in the integration of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) principles into the operations of the Kenya Police Service.

“The role of police officers in disaster management is both strategic and indispensable,” he said. “This course is a statement of intent — a deliberate effort to embed comprehensive disaster risk management principles into our policing philosophy.”

The induction course will cover a wide range of modules including policy, legal and institutional frameworks guiding DRM in Kenya; command and control in emergencies; Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (CBRNE) awareness; terrorist incident response training; major public event planning; decision-making under pressure; and incident command systems.

Mr. Lagat urged participants to take full advantage of the training by actively engaging with the content and building professional networks that will enhance coordination and resilience across agencies.

“Engage actively, ask questions, and build networks. The knowledge and relationships you forge here will form the backbone of both national security and disaster coordination at the county and formation levels,” he said.

The Deputy Inspector-General also expressed appreciation to the British High Commission (BHC) and its Protective Security & Attack Response Programme–Kenya for their financial and technical support in organizing the course, noting that international partnerships play a crucial role in advancing Kenya’s national security and disaster preparedness goals.

“We value the continued partnership of the British High Commission in building police capacity for both counter-terrorism and disaster response,” Mr. Lagat noted.

He reaffirmed the Kenya Police Service’s commitment to supporting the National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU) and to strengthening its role as a strategic partner in disaster preparedness, response, and resilience-building efforts nationwide.

Among those present at the event were the Commandant of the NPLA, Mr. David Kainga Mathiu, AIG; Deputy Commandant Dr. David Muthondeki, CP; Deputy Director of NDMU, Mr. Samuel Mutunga, CP; and Mr. Khalid Raines, the Protective Security & Attack Response Programme Coordinator at the British High Commission, alongside other senior police officers.