Discussion Paper No. 237 of 2021 on Policing Reforms to Enhance Security in Kenya

Abstract

Policing reforms gathered steam after the 2007/2008 post-election violence during which many Kenyans lost their lives and had their property running into millions of shillings destroyed. The Constitution of Kenya 2010 sets out a road map for an overhaul of the police structure by requiring the Government to carry out a raft of reform measures to transform the police from a police force to a police service. The Government has operationalized the National Police Service Commission, and Independent Policing Oversight Authority through various legislations whereas the National Police Service has operationalized functions of the Internal Affairs Unit as stipulated in the Constitution. Currently, plans are underway to have a single policing kit for officers involved in normal police service within communities. The Government has also rolled out medical cover for all personnel, increased budgetary provision for all policing agencies and is modernizing police infrastructure to enable them respond to the dynamic nature of security. However, challenges such as corruption, continued police impunity and lack of trust from the citizenry are impeding the success of police reforms. The National Police Service is transforming itself from a colonial political institution for repression in the early 1960s to a modern service