Tame rogue police officers

Just a year shy of a decade of efforts to entrench reforms in the National Police Service (NPS), it depicts a worrying image courtesy of unethical conduct of officers.

The reforms, marked by the launch of Service Standing Orders by the pioneer Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo that were accelerated by his predecessor Joseph Boinnet, has had the nation pregnant with expectation of transforming the police from a “force” to a “service”. Indisputably, great milestones have been achieved — such as police vetting, reorganisation and change of the police structure and the establishment and strengthening of the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU).

Now at the helm, IG Hillary Mutyambai is duty-bound to firmly and safely sail the ship through the turbulence of apparent deep-rooted indiscipline, downright rot and budding anarchy.

Appalling incidents —police directly involved in crime, including murder, and complicity by colluding with criminal networks, such as hiring out their government-issue guns to criminals — have been reported countrywide and across the ranks.

Records at the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa show that in January-June, of the processed 1,324 complaints, 1,051 comprised allegations of deaths and serious injuries. This paints a picture of breakdown in the command structure.

That works against the very key police reforms agenda policy framework of integrating police with communities and neighbourhoods. Entrenching the culture within NPS should be seamless from recruitment, training, deployment and promotion. Unlike as witnessed by the pioneer National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and Ipoa teams, there is little involvement of the two in police recruitment.

The IG and his two deputies sit on the NPSC, which is charged with police recruitment, promotion and welfare as NPS guides redeployment under the IG. There is a need for enhanced inter-institutional cooperation among Ipoa, NPS and NPSC.

[email protected]. @kinyurumunuhe