Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen on Monday, June 16, announced sweeping reforms within the National Police Service (NPS) aimed at addressing concerns over police misconduct and improving transparency. 

Speaking in a presser, he said the reforms were borne out of consultation and introspection of past and current incidents of police excesses.

Firstly, Murkomen said all 1,209 police stations in the country will be required to install CCTV surveillance systems within the next two years. 

He added that the Office Commanding Station (OCSs) will be in charge of the systems' functionality, and it will have an external back-up. 

"It shall be mandatory to equip police stations with CCTV surveillance to enhance transparency and accountability. All the police stations, currently standing at 1,209, shall have CCTV surveillance within the next two years.

"We shall be making proposals to Parliament to enact laws that criminalize tampering with CCTV cameras. The surveillance system shall be in the custody of the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), and the said officer shall be required to ensure that the system is always functioning, and in instances of fault, it shall be reported within one hour through the established chain of command. The CCTV shall have an external back-up system," he said.

Murkomen further said the ministry will roll out a new digital reporting system to modernize the current Occurrence Books (OBs) in a move to reduce opportunities for manipulation.

"Over the next one year, and in line with the BETA program of digitization, we shall roll out a digital reporting system. This is a reform that had been initiated, and we are now committed to the digitization of occurrence books to ensure all reported incidents can be tracked and be tamper-proof," he continued.

Additionally, every police station will be required to implement community policing programs as a way to foster collaboration between officers and the public.

"Every Police Station shall be mandated to adopt and steer community policing models to improve relations with citizens. This integration with the local community will lead greater accountability and improved working relations," he stated.

Murkomen also announced the formation of a framework to allow for regular independent audits of police conduct and use of resources.

"I have directed the immediate establishment of a policy framework for conducting independent audits of police practices, procedures, and use of resources to ensure compliance with established policies and identify areas for improvement.

"Working together with civil society, religious leaders, and other stakeholders, we shall ensure regular audits and evaluations with awards to the best police officers and police stations, among others. Creating systems that evaluate officer performance based not just on enforcement metrics but also on community relations and adherence to requisite ethical standards. This framework shall establish both the criteria for reward and sanction of the respective police officers," he said.

Further, Murkomen said a mandatory annual training program is being introduced for police officers, starting with OCSs, to promote constitutional values and ethical standards. 

"I have directed the establishment of continuous professional development (CPDs) training on all officers beginning with the OCSs who shall be required to undertake minimum training annually on a set of constitutional standards of the National Police Service as shall be developed curriculum.

"This marks the first step in restoring professionalism, discipline, and service excellence across all ranks. To achieve this, we shall work closely with the National Treasury and Parliament to ensure adequate resources are allocated," he noted.