Haji’s Two Years as NIS boss: Securing Kenya, His 2023 Role in Ruto-Raila Truce and Why Gachagua-led Team Want Him Out

NAIROBI—This week marks exactly two years since Noordin Haji assumed the role of the Director General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS).

At the time of taking the role as Kenya’s top intelligence officer, the country was facing two major issues: a growing anti-government protests led by the opposition leader Raila Odinga, and unprecedented surge in cross-border acts of violence mainly posed by the militant group Al-Shabab.

President William Ruto, on May 16, 2023 nominated Haji to assume the position of NIS boss. His name was transmitted to the National Assembly for consideration. Two weeks later, Haji, who was serving as the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) at the time, faced the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations for vetting in a televised session.

Through a Special Motion moved by Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, the House voted to approve Haji’s appointment.

While moving the Motion, Nelson Koech, the chairperson of the Committee explained that the MPs had undertaken a thorough scrutiny of Mr. Haji’s professional and academic competence for the job, as well as his long running career in public service.

“There is a general feeling even within the NIS that Mr. Haji is best fitted for the job, because for the very first time the service will be headed by someone originating from within,” noted Koech.

In picking Haji as Kenya’s spymaster, President Ruto broke a long-held tradition of picking heads of the intelligence agency from “outside”, mainly from the military. Haji took over the organisation from Philip Kimeru, a retired Major General of the Kenya Army.

Haji’s Role in Ruto-Raila Truce

A month to his appointment as NIS boss, the country was facing a political upheaval as a result of the Opposition’s discontent with the 2022 General Elections.

At the height of the Raila-led anti-government protests between March and April, 2023, Haji’s name popped up several times as the lead emissary representing the President’s side in the deal that saw the cessation of the weekly demos by the Opposition.

It was later confirmed by then Chairman of Azimio Executive Council Wycliffe Oparanya, Raila’s lead negotiator in the talks. While it lasted, the protests created an atmosphere of heightened political and security situation.

Also, the country’s economy suffered while the value of the shilling tumbled. However, the Haji-initiated truce talks culminated in the political reconciliation between President William Ruto and his arch-rival Raila Odinga.

Political analysts noted that Haji, who then was the Deputy Director of the Counter Organized Crime Unit of the NIS, accomplished what his boss failed to execute.

“The failure to tame Azimio protests and his designate-successor Noordin Haji’s success in striking a rapport between government and opposition informed the changes at the secret service agency,” the Standard newspaper wrote a day after Haji was sworn-in to office.

It continued: “While Kameru’s exit from the corner office at the NIS headquarters in Ruaraka came as a surprise to many Kenyans, it was not lost to top bureaucrats within the power circles of President Willliam Ruto who had seen it coming.”

Increased Al-Shabab Activities Along the Kenyan-Somalia Border

By June of 2023, over 30 security force officers have been killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in more than 10 attacks across north-eastern Kenya’s Mandera, Garissa and Lamu counties.

Between 13 and 25 June, the attacks became deadlier, resulting in 20 deaths of KDF soldiers, officers travelling in public service vehicles, and civilians in Lamu and Mandera counties.

According to data by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), the surge in Shabab attacks came about due to counter-offensives in Somalia by the Somali National Army, KDF, AU peace mission and international partners’ drone attacks.

“These operations have put al-Shabab on the back foot, forcing the extremists to take refuge in neighbouring countries where they assimilated into the local communities,” the ISS noted.

During his vetting for the position, Haji insisted that the only realistic way to defeat any form of an orgernised criminal activities is by winning “the hearts and minds of the local communities.”

“We have to develop and implement a local community-led initiative to deal with the threats of the al-Shabab menace,” Haji told lawmakers during the vetting.

Since mid-2023, local communities in Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu counties embraced what security experts termed as “a sustainable local solution to address a long-standing security challenge in the frontier counties.”

In the concept developed by the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the arrangement involves “a close working relations between the security agencies and the local communities to enhance collaboration.”

The initiative also aims at establishing trust as well as removing barriers between the locals and security apparatus.

Significant Drop in Al-Shabab Activities

Speaking shortly after the release of five Mandera chiefs abducted by suspected Al-Shabab militants in February, the Action for Sustainable Change ( AFOSC) Executive Director Mohamed Sheikh, the safe return of the chiefs marks a critical moment of relief for the region and serves as a testament to the effectiveness of coordinated peace-building efforts.

“This incident underscores the importance of continued cooperation between government authorities, local elders to safeguard our communities and uphold human dignity,” said Sheikh.

A survey released by the Horizon Analysts and Researchers Network (HARN) in October 2024 showed that the rate of deterrence, interception and foiling of potential terror attacks in Wajir, Lamu, Garissa and Mandera has significantly increased effectively reducing cases of terrorism in the volatile arid and semi-arid counties.

“The counties of Wajir, Mandera, Garissa and Lamu saw a staggering 60 per cent decline in attacks sarried out by Al-Shaaba. The surge in successful counterinsurgency activities corresponds to an unprecedented increase in collaboration between local communities and security agencies,” HARN stated.

Collaboration between the security-local communities begets decline in Shabab activities along Mandera, Wajir, Garissa and Lamu counties. pic.twitter.com/XixVjEvvRu

— The Horizon Analysts and Researchers Network (@HARNPolicy) October 8, 2024

HARN said there had been a 60 per cent reduction in attacks in the four countries.

This, the organization said, had been made possible by a newfound camaraderie between locals and security agencies. It also said that propaganda material, which is also shared to recruit young people into the militia group, has also decreased on both online and offline platforms.

The think-tank credit this success to the strengthened collaboration between local communities and security agencies.

“This partnership has enabled the timely sharing of critical intelligence, empowering security forces to deter, intercept, and foil potential terror attacks,” HARN noted.

Speaking in Wajir during the Pastoralist Leadership Summit in December 2024, President Ruto agreed with the survey, stating that, “Security in Northeastern counties has improved due to the collaborative approach between the locals and security agencies.”

2024: The Anti-Finance Bill Protests and the Abduction Claims

On 25 June 2024, hundreds of protesters stormed the Kenyan Parliament Building in Nairobi in response to the passing of the Kenya Finance Bill 2024, part of a larger series of protests against the proposed tax increases.

The protest escalated when a group of unidentified people, allegedly armed with crude weapons engaged the police, an altercation that saw several people killed, including officers manning the Parliament.

A day later, the President declined to ascent to the Finance Bill. In the same day, Rigathi Gachagua, addressed the media in Mombasa, faulting Haji for failing “to perform his mandate leading to unprecedented protests across the county over Finance Bill.”

In response during a joint media interview the President noted that: “He was was well furnished and I have full confidence with my Director General of NIS.”

In the months following the ouster of Rigathi Gachagua through an impeachment motion by the Parliament, the former Deputy President started accusing the NIS of “being behind the spate of abduction” without prove.

In January, Gachagua was joined by then Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Justin Muturi who claimed that his son was “abducted and later released by Noordin Haji with the direction of the President.”

However, a report by the Nation stated that his son, Leslie Muturi, was arrested on the night of June, 24 2024 booked at the Kilimani police station where he was held by anti-terror police unit for close to 20 hours and later released.”

Muturi, who was the Attorney-General at the time, was hard-pressed by Kenyans to state why he claimed that his son was abducted even though he was procedurally booked and later released. Others questioned the timing of his revelation, why he kept silent for over six months and the reason that led to the arrest.

The opposition legislators termed the claim as politically motivated.

“It’s very unfortunate that a disgruntled group in GOK from a region led by Gachagua see Noordin Haji as a soft spot to hit on the President,” National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed said.

He continued: “It began with a statement in Mombasa. Now recruited his co-conspirator the former AG. Unable to accept a Somali is DG NIS.”

His remarks was reiterated by Makau Mutua who accused Gachagua and Muturi, saying Haji was being targeted “because he came from the wrong tribe.”

“Haji is the first Somali to hold the sensitive docket since independence. Only Kikuyu, Kamba and Kalenjin held it before. Yet, Haji the first civilian to hold the job, is also the most qualified DG to do so,” Mutua noted in an opinion article on Nation in April, 6.

GACHAGUA: “During Uhuru’s term, Mt. Kenya had six bosses in the security sector. Today, we only have one. Is that fair? I have to speak for my people, and I have no apology to make to anybody.” pic.twitter.com/4sAJPrsRim

— Kulan Post (@kulanpost) April 28, 2025

In an interview in May, Gachagua made true of the rumours, stating that: “We lost all the six position we had in the security sector only remaining with one. As a (Central) region, we feel shortchanged.”

In mid April 2025, the MCA for Dela Ward in Wajir County, Yussuf Hussein reunited with his family. He went missing in September last year. Being one of the most high profile case of missing persons, MCA Yussuf stated that his disappearance “was politically motivated”, a revelation many observers said vindicated the nation’s security bosses of being behind the abductions.

MCA Yussuf cited Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi as “the main suspect who orchestrated his disappearances.”

From The periphery to mainstream: NIS First Public Engagement

In late March, Noordin Haji delivered first-ever public lecture by the agency at the National Intelligence and Research University (NIRU) in Nairobi.

The event came at time when the agency was under intense criticism from a section of politicians, painting it as a “shadowy, dangerous orgernisation”, a tag it inherited from its previous roles when it was known as “The Special Branch,” a dreaded unit used by the State to to silence politicians who held a different views.

However, the 2010 Constitution redefined the agency’s mandate as being responsible “for security intelligence and counterintelligence to enhance national security.”

“In a democratic state, silence must never be mistaken for impunity,” he said, emphasising the need to balance operational secrecy with public accountability.

He, however, warned of the dangers of overexposure.

“In a democratic state, silence must never be mistaken for impunity.”

Noordin Haji, the Director General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) delivered first-ever public lecture by the head of the secret agency at the National Intelligence and Research University (NIRU)… pic.twitter.com/1Sg0Qh2DN5

— Kulan Post (@kulanpost) March 27, 2025

The lecture marks a turning point in how the intelligence agency relates with the public—no longer as a distant, opaque institution, but as a responsive service evolving with the times.

“Citizens want details. They want timelines. They want names,” Haji noted, adding that public understanding and trust are now essential to national security.

Countering “Borderless Threats Through Collaboration”

For the second time, Mr. Haji hosted over 80 top global security officials for stronger intelligence collaboration and the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address emerging security threats.

Speaking during the 2nd Mashariki Cooperation Conference (MCC II), Haji underscored the urgency of regional cooperation in combating terrorism, organized crime, and digital misinformation. He warned that terrorist groups exploit instability to expand their influence, while cross-border criminal networks continue to destabilize the region.

“Misinformation and disinformation on social media are eroding governance and national stability. While digital platforms are vital for democracy, their manipulation fosters psychological uncertainty and poor decision-making among the public,” Haji cautioned.

Why Do Ruto’s political opponents want Haji out?

Professor Herman Manyora, a political scientist, noted that the intelligence community plays a critical role in advising the Head of State on the political situation and the trajectory it is taking, both domestically and internationally.

“Mr. Haji is not your regular chief of intelligence agency. He is a spy master per excellence, and that could be the reason the opposition team behind the’Ruto Must Go’ are going after him because hitting at Haji is like targeting the President’s,” he said in an interview shortly after Muturi cited Haji as “chief abductor.”

“If you look at the pattern—from Gachagua saying Haji did not advise the President well on the anti-Finance Bill protests to Muturi seeking to malign his reputation—the script is well coordinated to get Haji out of the way, but it appears the President is awake to that reality.”