Grace Kaindi is Kenya’s first female provincial police boss. She is also the first woman to be appointed Deputy Police Commissioner. Until 2015, she served as the Deputy Inspector General of Police, becoming the first woman to hold this position. In this especially difficult career path for women, she is eager to mentor the next generation of female officers.
Barricaded roads, burning buildings, forced evictions, running battles, teargas, gunfire and murder characterised the lakeside town of Kisumu when it erupted in an orgy of violence following the disputed Presidential poll of December 2007.
The Police Commander who had the unenviable task of pacifying Kenya’s third largest city was as unlikely as her name. Grace Kaindi is associated with elegance, charm and beauty. But those are hardly the attributes Kenya’s first female provincial police boss employed to climb up the ladder from lowly Inspector to top cop.
Today, Deputy Inspector General Grace Kaindi is one of the very few women to ever rise through the ranks in the police force, many years after she saw an advert in the newspapers and sent in her application.
Kaindi joined the police force as a Police Inspector, a position she enjoyed for four years. Her first posting was at the Central Police Station, where she began to learn the ropes as a rookie cop. She was then appointed Chief Inspector, a rank she held for another four years, then was promoted to Police Superintendent, serving for seven years. Thereafter, Kaindi was designated Senior Superintendent and served for eight years. She believes she served in this position longest because tribal balance in the force had to be maintained.
Another promotio saw her rise to become Assistant Commissioner of Police for two and a half years, followed by another four years as Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police. The post of Deputy Commissioner of Police became hers for six and a half years, and this is what prepared her for the prestigious post of Deputy Inspector General.
The policewoman was to later join the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Interpol as a Deputy Provincial Police Commander before being promoted to the top position.
Kaindi, who was brought up in Jericho in Nairobi’s Eastlands and attended Martin Luther Primary School, says she speaks sheng (urban slang) in her house. Here, all formalities are dropped and she can relax into her laid back self.
The proud mother announces that she does not like talking about her family, and she would rather keep her personal life private. Like with most women, she agrees that creating a work-life balance has been a most difficult thing for her.
“We try to fit in the long hours, and family suffers,” she says ruefully, adding that transfers for whatever reason mean detaching oneself from the family setting.
The police boss has never been married and recalls that she once had two homes, one in Kisumu and the other in Nairobi, where her then very young children resided. They would always join her during the school holidays.
Today the situation is much better, although work demands persist. “I have been called to duty when enjoying ice-cream and a swim with my family. Leisure for me is complicated.”
Despite her high profile positions, Kaindi considers herself just like any other mother who is striving to remain relevant to her children. “Every free moment one gets as a police officer, one spends with family.”
Kaindi is quick to acknowledge that she has come a long way. The fact that senior posts within the police service are fraught with politics made her journey to the top even harder. For her, the inspiration to get to the top came from former policewomen.
“When I joined the force, there were only two Senior Superintendents in the whole of Kenya. At that time, we never imagined a woman could become an OCS.” She says that all this has been made possible because of changes in the security sector. Her only regret is that there are still blockages for women in the Army, and that no woman has ever made it to the level of Brigadier or Service Commander.
She also believes that policewomen are not appreciated as much as they should be. “When I joined the force as an Inspector, my colleagues thought I was privileged to start from the top. What they did not realise is that I was as qualified as they come.” She adds: “At the CID I felt appreciated. I was taken to Paris for training on how to run an Interpol office.”
She is quick to own up that the one-third gender rule in the new Constitution made it easier for her to get the Deputy Inspector General’s post. Since her appointment, she has endeavoured to hold the hands of her female juniors. This she tries to do even as she teaches them how to achieve work-life balance.
I have come to learn that if you don’t know God you are lost and cannot function. Our work is dangerous. Officers who know God know they are servants doing a duty
It is not surprising that her days are long, and involve lots of communication with other senior officers in the police force.
On matters security, she observes that Nairobi residents have had enough of crime and that is why they are quick to lynch anyone caught on the wrong side of the law.
She insists: “Security starts with you and me. One should be cautious and guarded at all times.” She says that the problem of congestion on our roads does not help matters, and that the police are now working with the Ministry of Transport to bring order and enhance security in urban areas.
The police boss, who says she sleeps only when there is nothing else to be done, would rise at the crack of dawn, typically 4am, to prepare for a 5.30am briefing with the Duty Officer at the Headquarters to get a summary of the night’s events. At 6am she would confer with her Commanders, after which it was time to touch base with the Inspector General to map out the day’s events.
Kaindi now understands why the force has fewer women at the top compared to men. She reveals that Kenya Police College in Kiganjo has 50 per cent female recruits, but as they go higher in rank the number decreases. She also points out the problem of retention in the force, whereby husbands of policewomen discourage their wives from working.
A rice-lover, Kaindi confesses that cooking is a welcome distraction for her. “I eat all types of rice. I can eat only rice the entire year.”
So what fuels Kaindi, given the enormous amount of energy she so exudes? “I have come to learn that if you don’t know God you are lost and cannot function. Our work is dangerous. Officers who know God know they are servants doing a duty.”
The delightful grandmother says she has got to where she is because of God’s grace. She notes that many officers have lost their lives in the line of duty, but she has survived. Her relationship with her Creator is expressed in a slightly different manner. She does not go to church, for example, but is a consumer of the now famous eChurch, which allows her to praise God in her living room.
This brilliant policewoman does not seem to age. She says that the mind is like a knife. “If you feel that you are on top of things, nothing will bring you down.” This belief must surely be working for her, for she says that when she retires she wants to start living. “I want more life, to go places, to be a good citizen…” she concludes.
The State House Girls alumna will not disclose her age. She states that a lady must not openly reveal how old they are – that what matters is how people see you and how you feel about yourself, because this prepares your body psychologically on how it will look. She however has no qualms divulging that her birthday falls on October 12.
In 2015, after a public legal battle protesting her unceremonious dismissal from the Deputy Inspector General docket, Kaindi finally retired, opting to settle with the government out of court.
Words of Wisdom
- “Policewomen are not appreciated as much as they should be.”
- “I am where I am today because of God’s grace.”
- “Security starts with you and me. One should be cautious and guarded at all times.”
- “Appreciate people. If there was more love among Kenyans, life would be better.”