Wednesday, May 8, 2013
BY VICTOR BWIRE
There
is a genuine reason for Kenyans to be deeply worried about their
security taking into consideration recent events in different parts of
the country.
Compared to the judiciary, directorate of public prosecutions, immigration department among others, the police is the only institution that has refused to embrace.
Other than a change in titles of the people and name , the police have remained exactly the same. This is despite the establishment of a new commission and an oversight body which has been fighting to introduce the reforms which the leadership are doggedly fighting at every stage.
The Inspector General of the Police and his management team who are all career police officers must embrace change instead of hinder it.
The police is the only institution which has retained the same old face, holding the same ranks and doing their routine things badly as usual stifling any new faces or ideas. The IG and his team continue as if in total ignorance of what is going on.
The 2010 constitution places police reforms at the heart of its implementation process. These reforms seek to change the police force into a service and shed its past of a force that was used implicated in political assassinations, torture of political detainees, extra judicial killings of suspects, brutal clamping down of protestors in political rallies, perpetration of sexual and gender based violence among other ills.
The Constitution created the National Police Service Commission with the object to recruit and appoint persons to hold or act as officers in the service, confirm appointments, and determine promotion and transfers within the National Police Service.
Article 244 of the Constitution sets out the standards by which the reformed National Police Service, should strive . The Waki report recommended a complete audit of the current police management, its structures, policies, practices and procedures and an examination of the structures, including the Senior Executive; thorough examination, review and revision of all tactics, weapons and ‘use of force’ employed by the police as well as a complete revision of the Police Act and application of a National Security Policy,
The Ransely Report apart from recommending the establishment of a Police Service Commission noted that if the management echelons of the Kenya Police Service were to succeed in reforming the police, then officers with leadership and management skills, high moral integrity, and an ability to spearhead reforms, ought to be appointed to occupy leadership positions.
This has been lacking as indicated in a report released in June last year by Usalama Reforms Forum titled Police Reforms Monitoring Project, Preparedness of the Police to Combat Insecurity and Crime.
According to the report, the Police Reforms Implementation Committee lacked such a vision from the onset, focusing instead on activities and outputs without defining priority results to be achieved and implementation arrangement that defines role and responsibilities.
Inertia in police reform has been compounded by other challenges such as the passive commitment of the Government to implement reforms; lack of coherent policy direction by the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security on critical reform issues; lack of motivation and ownership by the Police.
Bwana IG, please work with the NPSC and IPOA to bring about the reforms needed in the police. The current approach of refusing to open the security sector to other professional players or young and educated officers from taking part in the leadership of the service is a big mistake.
Even if the service is provided with all the financial resources it requires, its current structure and management team will still make reforms in the service a mirage for Kenyans
The writer works at the Media Council of Kenya. These views are personal.
Compared to the judiciary, directorate of public prosecutions, immigration department among others, the police is the only institution that has refused to embrace.
Other than a change in titles of the people and name , the police have remained exactly the same. This is despite the establishment of a new commission and an oversight body which has been fighting to introduce the reforms which the leadership are doggedly fighting at every stage.
The Inspector General of the Police and his management team who are all career police officers must embrace change instead of hinder it.
The police is the only institution which has retained the same old face, holding the same ranks and doing their routine things badly as usual stifling any new faces or ideas. The IG and his team continue as if in total ignorance of what is going on.
The 2010 constitution places police reforms at the heart of its implementation process. These reforms seek to change the police force into a service and shed its past of a force that was used implicated in political assassinations, torture of political detainees, extra judicial killings of suspects, brutal clamping down of protestors in political rallies, perpetration of sexual and gender based violence among other ills.
The Constitution created the National Police Service Commission with the object to recruit and appoint persons to hold or act as officers in the service, confirm appointments, and determine promotion and transfers within the National Police Service.
Article 244 of the Constitution sets out the standards by which the reformed National Police Service, should strive . The Waki report recommended a complete audit of the current police management, its structures, policies, practices and procedures and an examination of the structures, including the Senior Executive; thorough examination, review and revision of all tactics, weapons and ‘use of force’ employed by the police as well as a complete revision of the Police Act and application of a National Security Policy,
The Ransely Report apart from recommending the establishment of a Police Service Commission noted that if the management echelons of the Kenya Police Service were to succeed in reforming the police, then officers with leadership and management skills, high moral integrity, and an ability to spearhead reforms, ought to be appointed to occupy leadership positions.
This has been lacking as indicated in a report released in June last year by Usalama Reforms Forum titled Police Reforms Monitoring Project, Preparedness of the Police to Combat Insecurity and Crime.
According to the report, the Police Reforms Implementation Committee lacked such a vision from the onset, focusing instead on activities and outputs without defining priority results to be achieved and implementation arrangement that defines role and responsibilities.
Inertia in police reform has been compounded by other challenges such as the passive commitment of the Government to implement reforms; lack of coherent policy direction by the Ministry of State for Provincial Administration and Internal Security on critical reform issues; lack of motivation and ownership by the Police.
Bwana IG, please work with the NPSC and IPOA to bring about the reforms needed in the police. The current approach of refusing to open the security sector to other professional players or young and educated officers from taking part in the leadership of the service is a big mistake.
Even if the service is provided with all the financial resources it requires, its current structure and management team will still make reforms in the service a mirage for Kenyans
The writer works at the Media Council of Kenya. These views are personal.
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