Police shake up could come with new perks

The Kenya Police Force could get Sh400 million in outstanding allowances, 8,000 new cars and housing that meets international standards as early as January next year.

These are part of the recommendations to boost morale and professionalism in the force that were made by the National Taskforce on Police Reforms.

“From January, next year, we should see part of the reforms such as disbursement of the allowances,” said Mr Stephen Ruhoro of the Communication Strategy Working Group, the body mandated to disseminate information on the reforms.

The recommendations were presented to the President in October after the National Taskforce on Police Reforms completed its report.

The team went after going around the country to collect views on changes needed to the force.

It began its work in May ,this year.

Police reforms are part of the Agenda Four reforms under the National Accord, legislation that created a unity government following a disputed election that caused the post-election violence early last year.

The Waki Commission was set up under this law and mandated to investigate the underlying causes of the violence and the responsible parties.

The commission found that the police were involved in many of the killings and other crimes.

It consequently recommended an overhaul of the force.“The parties shall initiate urgent and comprehensive reform of the Kenya Police and Administration Police which shall be carried out by a panel of experts,” said the Waki Report.

But policemen were also victims. The report showed that a the force was sometimes stretched beyond its capacity and some of its members died or were seriously injured in the violence.

The report also found that low morale in the force had eroded professionalism and that empowerment of the police force and salary increments and better housing were possible solutions to the problem.

The Kenya Police and the Administration Police,—the two arms of the force, are also to be managed by a unit known as the National Policing Council.

Independence of the two arms of the force without accountability has been cited as a source of conflict and civilians as its victims amid rising crime the country.

Ordinary Kenyans will now have a chance to voice their complaints about the police force should the Police Service Commission (PSC) be set up.

The current complaints body is the Office of the Ombudsman also known as Public Complaints Standing Committee (PCSC) which collects views from members of the public.

It then compiles a report and sends it to the various ministries for action.

Ministries and other government bodies are, however, not accountable to it but are under the PSC. Members of the force will be answerable to the body. Mr Vincent Kimutai of the Institute of Legal Affairs says the reforms must be comprehensive and all inclusive if they are to have a positive impact.

“The reforms must not be done primarily by the government and must include even security players in the private sector,” he says.

The pace of the reforms must also be fast if the violence witnessed last year is to be avoided, says Mr Kimutai.

The deadline should be before the 2012 general election, he says.

Some of the reforms will take a longer time since they depend on parliamentary approval such as the Police Reforms Bill, bills to create the PSC and the Police Reforms Implementation Commission.