Inspector General (IG) of the National Police Service (NPS), Douglas Kanja, has rated the performance of the service highly under his stewardship.
Speaking during an exclusive interview with NTV Kenya, the IG offered a score of eight out of ten for the service.
This assessment follows a period of intense scrutiny concerning police conduct, corruption, and high-profile incidents. Mr Kanja took over the leadership role in mid-September last year.
A Strong Score Amidst Scrutiny
When asked to rank the service's performance on a scale of zero to ten, IG Kanja placed it at "around eight and going up onwards". He stressed that "Rome was not built in a day" when discussing the ongoing development of the service.
The IG justified this high rating by focusing on national security. He argued that the country is safe and secure from north to south, and from east to west.
He highlighted that daily life continues without widespread disruption.
"Our country is safe and secure... investments are going on. Our economic activities are going on. We wake up in the morning. We go back to our homes in the evening..."
Proactive Approach to Corruption
The Inspector General acknowledged that the police service has historically been accused of being the leading corrupt entity in the Republic of Kenya.
He revealed that tackling this major problem was one of his primary goals upon taking office.
To address the issue, Mr Kanja sought external expertise. He decided to collaborate with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
The intention was for the EACC, as experts, to examine NPS systems, processes, procedures, and practices.
The IG stated that the EACC process commenced in February this year and was completed around June. He referred to the resulting findings as a "very good report" that helps identify gaps.
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The EACC report highlighted that recruitment has been seriously affected by corruption. Mr Kanja stated that new measures have been deployed to combat this.
He confirmed that based on intelligence sources, the most recent recruitment exercise was "free and fair," and he had not heard of any cases of corruption.
The IG is prioritising training and capacity building for officers. He said that training is a "key driver" for improving service quality.
He confirmed that currently, around 45 per cent of officers are trained. The IG has held discussions with the Treasury to seek additional funding to increase this number.
When discussing police accountability, Mr Kanja addressed the highly publicised escape of murder suspect Collins Jumisi. He confirmed that investigations were carried out to understand how Jumisi left custody.
Appropriate actions were taken against those found culpable. The officers who aided the escape lost their jobs due to negligence.
The IG stressed that police stations should be safe areas. He confirmed that losing one life in custody is "one too many," and such incidents must be investigated to their logical conclusion.
Mr Kanja also firmly stated that abduction is not part of the duties of the police service.He said that police officers are guided by the Constitution and must protect the rights and freedoms of the people.
Mr Kanja concluded by stating his intention is to continue improving and investing in policing services to make stations "centers of excellence".
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