Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police Lazarus Opicho, the officer in charge of the Security of Government Buildings and VIP Protection Unit, has died, the National Police Service has confirmed.
Opicho is said to have passed away on Monday evening at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi following a short illness. Details of the exact nature of his illness have not been made public.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja led tributes to the veteran officer, describing him as a dedicated, honest and exemplary servant whose decades of work within the National Police Service would not be forgotten. Colleagues and officials across the security sector have continued to send condolences through the day.
Opicho’s career in the service spanned some of the most sensitive security dockets in the country. He is credited with helping set up the Judiciary Police Unit, a specialised detachment created to protect judges, magistrates and court staff nationwide at a time when the judiciary faced heightened security concerns. He later rose to lead the Administration Police Service’s VIP Protection Unit, a division responsible for safeguarding senior state officials, visiting dignitaries and critical government infrastructure.
His name featured in public discussion in 2024, during the anti-government protests that swept the country, when he reportedly reached out to the security detail of a High Court judge to verify the judge’s safety following the shooting of a magistrate elsewhere. He is said to have later clarified his actions to the judge concerned, explaining that they were driven by security concerns and years of working closely with judicial officers, rather than any attempt at intimidation.
Opicho was subsequently promoted to the rank of Senior Assistant Inspector General and remained at the helm of the VIP Protection Unit until his death.
His death leaves a vacancy in one of the police service’s most sensitive commands at a time when the country continues to grapple with wider questions about security sector reforms. It was not immediately clear who would take over his docket in the interim, or when burial arrangements would be announced.
The National Police Service has not issued a formal statement beyond the Inspector General’s tribute, and further details, including funeral arrangements, are expected to be communicated to the public in the coming days.