Following the 2007-2008 post-election violence, Kibaki's government initiated police reform processes aimed at improving police capacity, accountability, and respect for human rights. The police had been widely implicated in violence during the post-election period, and the international community and civil society organisations demanded substantial reforms. Kibaki's government established commissions to investigate police conduct and to recommend reforms to police operations and management.
The police reform agenda under Kibaki included training initiatives aimed at improving police professionalism, the introduction of new codes of conduct emphasising human rights protections, and efforts to enhance police accountability mechanisms. The government also pursued the recruitment and training of community policing officers intended to improve police-community relationships. These reforms reflected international best practices in police professionalisation and accountability.
However, the implementation of police reforms faced significant obstacles rooted in Kenya's political culture and in the limited resources available for police operations. Police officers sometimes viewed human rights protections as constraints on their operational effectiveness, and the pressure to address serious crimes sometimes led to practices that violated rights protections. The police budget remained limited, and new training and accountability mechanisms competed with basic operational needs.
See Also
Police Reform Kenya Human Rights and Security Forces Post-Conflict Accountability Kibaki Governance Reforms
Sources
- Rauch, Janine. Police Accountability: Internal Affairs Models. ISS Monographs, 2007.
- Kenya National Police Service. Reform Initiatives 2008-2013. Government Press, 2013.
- UN ODHCR. Report on Police Reform in Kenya. UN Publications, 2011.