Waziri Mayai Wa Maradhi
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 28, 2026
- 409
- 98
When Uniformed brigadier from KDF meets the IGP in Uniform, who should salute the other?
If a KDF Brigadier and the Inspector-General of the National Police Service (IG) meet while both are in full uniform, the Brigadier should salute the IG, and the IG should return/acknowledge the salute.
The reason is that the Kenya Police Standing Orders expressly provide that police officers salute all commissioned officers of the Navy, Military and Air Force, while also requiring officers to salute those senior in status/rank.
There is also an important rank-equivalence point: the Inspector-General is above Brigadier level in the inter-service rank equivalence traditionally used in Kenya. The IG is generally treated as equivalent to a two-star general, while a Brigadier is a one-star general.
So, in a normal face-to-face encounter:
KDF Brigadier → salutes → Inspector-General
Inspector-General → returns/acknowledges the salute
This is a matter of military/police courtesy and protocol, not that the IG commands the KDF. The IG's statutory command is over the National Police Service, while the KDF has its own command structure.
If a KDF Brigadier and the Inspector-General of the National Police Service (IG) meet while both are in full uniform, the Brigadier should salute the IG, and the IG should return/acknowledge the salute.
The reason is that the Kenya Police Standing Orders expressly provide that police officers salute all commissioned officers of the Navy, Military and Air Force, while also requiring officers to salute those senior in status/rank.
There is also an important rank-equivalence point: the Inspector-General is above Brigadier level in the inter-service rank equivalence traditionally used in Kenya. The IG is generally treated as equivalent to a two-star general, while a Brigadier is a one-star general.
So, in a normal face-to-face encounter:
KDF Brigadier → salutes → Inspector-General
Inspector-General → returns/acknowledges the salute
This is a matter of military/police courtesy and protocol, not that the IG commands the KDF. The IG's statutory command is over the National Police Service, while the KDF has its own command structure.