Resila Atieno Onyango has been appointed as the new National Police Service (NPS) spokesperson.

She takes over from Bruno Shioso who has been promoted and named as the National Police Service Training Campus commandant in Kiganjo.

Resila Atieno made headlines last year when she became the first female police officer, in the history of the National Police Service, to earn a doctorate degree.

She is a Senior Superintendent of Police and currently the Deputy Director of Planning at the Office of the Inspector General of Police.

She has previously worked at the Kenya Police headquarters public relations office in the Rift Valley region, and at the National Police Senior Staff College in Loresho, Nairobi.

She has also worked at the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) at the regional bureau of East Africa as a criminal intelligence officer.

The region comprises of Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia.

She is a trained teacher by profession and graduated from Moi University with her first degree in Education, before joining the National Police Service in 2003.

She later earned her PhD 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 Centre Doctorate Fellowship.

Resila also holds a Master’s of Science degree in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania, USA, under Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program.

Deputy commandant at the college Philip Ndolo has also been recalled to the police headquarters in the changes announced by acting Inspector General of Police  Noor Gabow.

In the changes, Central Regional Police Commander (RPC) Manase Musyoka was moved to Nairobi region in the same capacity.

Musyoka replaced James Mugera who retired after attaining mandatory retirement age.

The new Central RPC will be Lydia Ligami while Paul Langat was posted to Western as the RPC to replace Peris Muthoni who retired from the service.

Gabow also named Cathrene Mugwe as the staff officer training at police headquarters.

The acting IGP termed the changes normal aimed at boosting operations in the affected areas.

The new commanders are experienced officers who many believe will deliver.

Officials said more changes are expected from next month once Koome takes over as the IGP.

More changes are also expected at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations where DCI Mohamed Amin is still reorganizing the agency