DR RESILA ONYANGO
There is a new police spokesperson in town. Dr. Resila A. Onyango PHD, an Ivy League graduate, has been appointed the National Police Service spokesperson, succeeding Bruno Shioso who has been promoted to Commandant of the National Police Training Campus in Kiganjo; in changes made on Monday, November 7.
Resila is the second woman to hold the spokesperson position at Kenya’s Police Service after Zipporah Mboroki who served in the position in 2014 before she was replaced by Charles Owino.
Resila is a Senior Superintendent of Police and until her appointment was the Deputy Director of Planning at the Office of the Inspector General of Police.
Resila made history last year when she became the first female police officer in the history of the National Police Service to earn a Doctorate degree. She earned her PhD and MPhil in Criminal Justice from the Graduate Center /John Jay College of Criminal Justice-The City University of New York (CUNY), USA under the CUNY Graduate Center Doctorate Fellowship.
She has a Masters of Science Degree in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, under Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program.
Until August 2021 she was a Criminal Intelligence Officer on contract at the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL).
She graduated from Moi University in Kenya with her first degree in Education before joining the National Police Service in the year 2003. Her initial police training was at the then Kenya Police College Kiganjo in 2003 where she emerged the Best Overall Female Recruit, bagging the prestigious Cane of Honor awarded by the Head of State.
An expert in Policing, Peace, Conflict and Security, Dr. Resila is a Military Observer trained at the Finnish Defence Forces International Centre in Finland and a trained Sex Crimes Investigator by the International Law Enforcement Academy, Botswana.
Her academic research work has focused more on Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice, Gender Issues in Policing and Peace Support Operations, Crimes against Children, and Terrorism within East Africa.
Resila, an alumni of Lwak Girls High School and Ogeya Primary School has in the past urged girls to embrace careers in police service.
“Girls should not shy away from joining the National Police Service as the Service offers various opportunities for female officers,” she said.
On her recent appointment, she has vowed to deliver, while seeking support of all stakeholders.
“We will deliver with your support and all stakeholders. We are set and need your support,” she said.
