This man Hillary Mutyambai: Top spy nominated to replace Joseph Boinnet

When curtains came down on Joseph Kipchirchir Boinnet’s four-year tenure as Inspector General of Police on Monday, March 11, it was anyone’s guess who would be appointed to succeed him.

Amid the uncertainty and anxiety, President Uhuru Kenyatta in an Executive Order on Wednesday nominated Hillary Nzioki Mutyambai — a little-known top spy — to head the National Police Service.

So who is this man Hillary Nzioki Mutyambai?

Mutyambai is a trained police officer whose stellar career in the police service saw him rise from a junior officer in the then Kenya Police Force in 1991 to the rank of Superintendent of Police before joining the then Directorate of Security Intelligence in 1998.

In the intelligence outfit he continued to rise the ranks to become the Deputy Director in charge of Counter Terrorism in the National Intelligence Service.

In his role as the Deputy Director in-charge of Countering Terrorism, Mutyambai is credited for working closely with police and military units in the fight against terrorism in the country.

Mutyambai holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nairobi and a Master’s of Arts degree in National Security Policy from the Australian National University — the same institution where Joseph Boinnet acquired his Master’s degree.

He is a man with a vast experience on security matters having undergone special training on counter terrorism and advanced security in the U.S, Operational Management in the United Kingdom and Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism in Israel.

He has previously served at the Kenya High Commission in Kampala Uganda as a Political Attaché from 2000 to 2004.

Mutyambai will be vetted by the National Assembly’s security committee, and if his nomination is approved by the August House, President Kenyatta will appoint him to take charge of the over 100,000 police officers in the country.