Transformation and Reforms in police is on the right track-IG Boinnet.

 Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet interacts with police officers during a meeting in Kisumu where he said reforms in the police is on the right track.-Photo By Dickson Odhiambo.

By Dickson Odhiambo

October 22, 2018.

 Transformation and Reforms in police is on the right track-IG Boinnet.

THE VARIOUS reforms in the National Police Service is on the right track across the country, Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet has said.

Boinnet says the reforms in the Police Service has been a long journey with a lot of challenges but it is heading to the right direction.

Addressing both senior and Junior police officers from Kisumu and Siaya Counties at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu during a meeting with a theme of a new Policy framework on the reorganization of the National Police Service and Provision of decent and affordable Housing for Police officers, Boinnet assured the officers that police transformation is done within the confines of the constitution of Kenya 2010 and other related laws.

The Inspector General says transformation and reforms in the National Police Service is part of the journey in the entire service hence should be embraced.

“It is very difficult to adapt to a change but we must adapt to the changes because of the circumstances,” Boinnet says.

He adds that police must agree on what constitutes to the transformation and reforms in the National Police Service.

Boinnet says it is good for those serving in the current National Police service to know where the reforms and transformation of the service begun so as to understand the entire process.

The Inspector General of Police says some of the reforms in the service which has taken place include the review of the curriculum for training of the police across the country.

He adds that a number of policies documents have been developed as far as the issue of transformation and reforms in the National Police Service is concerned.

He further says document on discipline and transfers of the police officers have also been developed as part of the reforms in the service.

Boinnet adds that in the matters of welfare of the police officers, two health insurance schemes have been developed and adopted, adding that one of them is group life insurance which has been very helpful to the police officers.

He says part of the reforms have also included harmonization of Ranking structures in the National Police Service throughout the country.

Boinnet further says the National Police Housing Survey has recommended that House allowance be given to police officers across the country and the issue of compulsory housing by the Government to police officers should be stopped.

“The National Police Housing Survey Report has confirmed that the total number of police housing unit in the country is 20,000 against 105,000 police officers who are currently there,” Boinnet further adds.

Boinnet says the report also indicate that the National Police Service is dominated by the youth under the age of 40 and they are the majority but there is demoralization because of the adverse living conditions.

Recently, President Uhuru Kenyatta launched a report on the National Police Housing. 

 

The History of Police reforms in Kenya begun in the year 2003 when the Police Reforms Task force was formed.

Between the year 2003 to the year 2007, the Governance Justice, Law and Order Sector Reforms {GJLOS} program focusing on accountability took place.

In the year 2007 General Elections, police were put on the spot following the role the service played.

In the year 2008 to 2009 a Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence {CIPEV} headed by the now Court of Appeal Judge Justice Philip Waki was formed in the aftermath of the 2007 General Elections.

The CIPEV report implicated the police in the acts of professional misconduct.

 In the year 2009, a task force headed by the retired Judge Justice Philip Ransley and it came up with 200 recommendations mentioning that police must be reformed and retrained, restructured for an efficient and effective service delivery.

Between the year 2009 to 2012, the Police Reforms Implementation Committee {PRIC] was formed to fast-track and Coordinate the implementation of Ransley report which some of its recommendations adopted in the formation of the constitution of Kenya 2010.

PRIC collapsed all the 200 recommendations in the Ransely report and came up with only four pillars of the Police reforms that include Legislative, policy and institutional reforms, Police Accountability and Professional reforms.

The other one is Administrative, operational preparedness logistical capacity, police tooling and Kitting.

In the year 2013, the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government established the Police Reforms Steering Committee{PRSC} and the Police Reforms Program Document has also been developed.

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