Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat previously deputized former Police head Japhet Koome.
Before then, he was Commandant of the General Service Unit (GSU) and his rise to his new role has been nothing short of monumental.
The DIG was speaking in an interview with the Nation, where he narrated how his love for automotives led him to the Police Service , a career change that did not seem likely for the 52-year-old who had initially wanted to be a priest.
Lagat who undertook his secondary education at the Mother of Apostles Seminary saw becoming a Catholic priest as his next natural step, but this dream died as soon as he left the institution to train as a mechanic.
He proceeded to train in Industrial Technology at the University of Eastern Africa-Baraton where he honed his skills in mechanics. His qualifications extended to automotive engineering, in pursuit of his dream to work for a big motor vehicle garage, General Motors.
When the opportunity to join the police force came, he resorted to shelving his ambitions of his dream job. However, he was stationed at the GSU workshop at the police college, where he trained and spent his early days fitting car brakes.
“I enjoyed it. I loved things to do with vehicles,” he reminisced.
After graduating from the Kenya Police College in Kiganjo, he was deployed to the General Service Unit headquarters where he started off as a mechanic repairing police vehicles.
Now 25 years later, he has risen through the ranks, accomplishing major milestones in his career. Before his role as GSU Commandant, he headed the forensic Bomb Disposal unit and the Directorate of Reforms at DCI headquarters.
With a Master’s Degree in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies from the University of Nairobi, he has held served in various capacities such as Director Investigations Bureau and Deputy Head of the DCI Crime Scene Support Unit after a three-year stint as a forensic investigator.
In his new role, Lagat has promised a raft of changes in service delivery by the law enforcers, which he intends to undertake by first transforming the police service.
“It’s the small things that count. I want to see officers enjoy their work. I also want the police to serve the public with dedication,“ he stated.
