The National Police Service is mourning the death of Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police Lazarus Opicho, a veteran officer who spent years in some of Kenya’s most sensitive security assignments, including the protection of government installations, senior officials and members of the Judiciary.
Opicho, who was serving as the Commandant of the Security of Government Buildings (SGB) and VIP Protection Unit within the Administration Police Service, died on Monday night, September 28, 2026, while receiving treatment at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. Colleagues and friends said he had been unwell.
His death has triggered tributes from senior figures in Kenya’s security and justice sectors, with Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Chief Justice Martha Koome among those mourning the officer.
Kanja described Opicho as an honest, dedicated and exemplary public servant, while Koome highlighted his contribution to strengthening security within the Judiciary.
A career spent in sensitive security roles
At the time of his death, Opicho was one of the senior officers responsible for protecting some of the country’s most important government facilities and individuals.
The Security of Government Buildings and VIP Protection Unit is an Administration Police formation tasked with protecting government installations and people placed under police protection.
Opicho took command of the unit in 2024 following changes within the Administration Police Service. He had previously served at APS headquarters before being moved to the SGB and VIP Protection Unit.
His seniority increased further in 2025 when he was promoted from Assistant Inspector General of Police to Senior Assistant Inspector General of Police, while retaining his position as commandant of the SGB and VIP Protection Unit. An Administration Police Service publication confirmed the promotion and his continued leadership of the unit.
He held the decorations Head of State Commendation (HSC) and National Defence College qualification (ndc(K)), according to police service records cited in reports following his death.
Pioneer of the Judiciary Police Unit
One of the most significant chapters of Opicho’s career was his role in establishing the Judiciary Police Unit.
The unit was created in 2021 following consultations between the National Police Service and the Judiciary. Its purpose was to provide dedicated security for judicial officers, court buildings and other Judiciary facilities across the country.
Opicho was appointed as its pioneer head.
The creation of the unit was significant because the Judiciary had sought a more coordinated approach to the protection of judges, judicial officers and court infrastructure. The unit brought together officers from both the Kenya Police Service and the Administration Police Service.
Chief Justice Martha Koome later singled out Opicho’s contribution to the Judiciary’s security structure following news of his death.
The Judiciary described his passing as an untimely loss and acknowledged his role in strengthening security within the institution.
His career before the Judiciary
Opicho’s career stretched beyond his work with the Judiciary and VIP protection.
In 2009, he served as a Police Superintendent at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was responsible for security and investigations. His subsequent assignments placed him in increasingly senior positions within the security establishment.
His career included assignments at APS headquarters before his move to the Security of Government Buildings and VIP Protection Unit.
By the time of his promotion to SAIG, he had accumulated experience in security operations, investigations, institutional protection and the management of specialised police formations.
The 2024 Judiciary security controversy
Opicho’s name also featured prominently in a high-profile Judiciary security controversy in September 2024.
At the time, High Court Judge Lawrence Mugambi had summoned Opicho to explain why he had contacted the judge’s driver and bodyguard while seeking to establish the judge’s whereabouts.
The matter arose during proceedings involving then Acting Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli and a dispute over police compliance with court orders.
A court ruling recorded that Opicho had been summoned to explain the calls. He subsequently appeared before Justice Mugambi and apologised, saying his intention had been to inquire about the judge’s security following a shooting at Makadara Law Courts. Opicho told the court that, having been the pioneer commandant of the Judiciary Police Unit, he had strong ties with judicial officers and had no intention of harming or intimidating them.
The episode occurred against a tense backdrop involving the Judiciary and the police service.
The court had found Masengeli in contempt after he repeatedly failed to appear before it over the disappearance of three men in Kitengela. The security of Justice Mugambi subsequently became another point of controversy, with the Judiciary raising concerns about the withdrawal of his security detail.
Opicho apologised in court, and the apology was accepted.
Rise to Senior Assistant Inspector General
Opicho’s promotion to SAIG was part of a wider series of promotions within the Administration Police Service.
The APS reported in 2025 that Opicho had been promoted from AIG to SAIG and would continue as commander of the SGB and VIP Protection Unit.
The National Police Service Commission has responsibility for promotions within the service, while the National Police Service itself operates under the command of the Inspector General. The NPS consists of the Kenya Police Service, Administration Police Service and Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
Opicho’s rise through the ranks reflected the increasingly senior responsibilities he was given over the course of his career.
Tributes from the police service
News of his death has been met with tributes from colleagues who worked with him in different parts of the security service.
Inspector General Douglas Kanja led the police service’s condolences, describing Opicho as a committed public servant whose contribution would be deeply missed.
For the police service, his death represents the loss of an experienced senior commander who had served in specialised areas of national security.
His final assignment placed him at the centre of one of the service’s most sensitive responsibilities protecting key government buildings and VIPs.
Koome remembers his contribution to the Judiciary
Chief Justice Koome’s tribute focused particularly on Opicho’s role in the Judiciary.
She said she received the news with βprofound shock and sadnessβ and conveyed condolences to the National Police Service, Opicho’s family, friends and colleagues.
Her statement also underscored the relationship between the police and Judiciary in protecting courts and judicial officers.
The Judiciary Police Unit that Opicho helped establish was designed to provide specialised protection to judicial infrastructure and personnel across Kenya. Its formation followed consultations between the Judiciary and police leadership in 2021.
A senior officer at the centre of state security
Opicho’s final years in the police service were spent in positions that placed him close to the country’s most important institutions.
As commandant of the SGB and VIP Protection Unit, he was responsible for a specialised formation dealing with the security of government buildings and protected persons.
The importance of such units has grown as Kenya’s public institutions face increasingly complex security demands. The National Police Service says its constitutional mandate includes maintaining law and order, preventing crime, protecting life and property, and promoting professionalism, accountability and respect for human rights.
Opicho’s career therefore spanned several aspects of that mandate from investigations and institutional security to the protection of judges, government buildings and VIPs.
An unfinished chapter
The circumstances surrounding Opicho’s death have so far been described simply as an illness. Reports say he died while receiving treatment at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi on Monday night.
No further medical details have been publicly established in the reports reviewed for this story, and speculation about the specific cause of death would therefore be inappropriate.
What is clear is that Kenya’s police and judicial leadership have lost a senior officer who occupied important security positions for years.
From his work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to his role in establishing the Judiciary Police Unit and later command of the SGB and VIP Protection Unit, Opicho’s career was defined by assignments requiring trust, discretion and responsibility.
His death now leaves the National Police Service to begin the process of determining his successor while colleagues, the Judiciary and his family mourn his passing.
For those who worked with him, the tributes point to the same central theme: a long-serving police officer who rose through the ranks and spent the latter part of his career protecting some of Kenya’s most important institutions and public officials.
