Rise and fall of Eliud Lagat: Top cop’s illustrious career in limbo
He was at a vantage position to succeed his boss Douglas Kanja when his four-year term ends.
Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service Eliud Lagat, who has since stepped aside following the storm caused by the death in police custody of teacher-turned blogger Albert Omondi Ojwang, had a whole future ahead of him in the service.
Pundits that as DIG, he was placed at a vantage position and had the qualifications to succeed his boss, Douglas Kanja, when his four-year term ends.
According to Article 245(6) of the Inspector-General of Police shall be appointed for a single four-year term, and is not eligible for re-appointment.
That means Kanja, who was appointed on September 20 last year will leave office in 2028 when Lagat, who was born in 1972, would be 56 years.
It is also likely that his rise to the top could have come early if President William Ruto is keen on shaking up the service ahead of what is expected to be a hotly-contested General Election in 2027.
During his vetting last year, Kanja raised questions from MPs when it emerged that he was 61 years old but Minority Whip Sylvanus Osoro defended him saying the 60-year requirement only applies to public servants and not to State officers.
However, if the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) establishes he was complicit in the killing of Omondi, it will mark the end of his police career growth ambitions.
Lagat has been cited by both Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin as the one who made a complaint that Omondi and four others were tarnishing his name by claiming he was engaged in corruption and thus triggering his arrest.
While stepping aside on Monday following a push by protestors, he pledged to cooperate with IPOA in its investigations.
He has since been summoned to record a statement.
Lagat is a seasoned career police officer with over 25 years of experience in the service having joined the service in 1998 after graduating from the Kenya Police College in Kiganjo.
He also boasts of remarkable academic credentials, including Master’s Degree in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Technology in Automotive from the University of Eastern Africa, Baraton.
He has served in senior positions in the service such as Commandant of the General Service Unit (GSU) Deputy Head of Crime News Scene Support Unit; Head of Investigation Bureau and Head of the Bomb and Hazardous Materials Unit.
On its website, the National Police Service Commission says that his experience in the security sector underscores his capability in handling complex security challenges and reforms in the service.
Could it be that all this will all come a cropper?
Even if he was exonerated over Omondi’s death, it is unlikely that he will earn public trust as Inspector General of Police if he were to be named as Kanja’s replacement.
It was evident on Tuesday when protestors took to the streets to demand his resignation and prosecution even after stepping aside.
If he appears in court, it will mark the second time another top officer is prosecuted for crimes committed while in service.
In the aftermath of the 2007/08 post-election violence, then Commissioner of Police Maj Gen Hussein Ali was among six people indicted by International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo for allegedly authorising the use of excessive force, including “shoot to kill” orders, and facilitating attacks against ODM supporters.
He was, however, discharged by judges at The Hague for lack of adequate evidence.
