The Ministry of Interior has directed the National Police Service (NPS) to immediately report all casualties or serious injuries in custody and to fully cooperate with the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
In a statement on Thursday, April 24, the ministry stated that these new measures will aid in enhancing accountability and protecting human rights.
It is a legal requirement to report any demise or serious injury occurring during police custody immediately, with a maximum timeframe of six hours after the incident.
According to the Constitution, if there is any delay in reporting due to exempt circumstances, a written explanation should be provided.
The police officers are to document in custody records and in incident logs all details surrounding the incident, such as the time of the incident and any actions taken.
The law stated that once reported, the incident will likely be investigated further by relevant authorities like the government pathologist or the IPOA.
The ministry said that this directive is a push by the government to rebuild public trust in the country’s security institutions and improve transparency.
“We are working to improve transparency and rebuild public trust in the National Police Service (NPS), Kenya Prisons Service (KPS), and National Youth Service (NYS)."
"The Judiciary, as our partner in the lawbreakers justice system, should support these efforts, not undermine them,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Additionally, the ministry stated that the efforts to control misconduct are still ongoing during recruitments and on the roads.
It also revealed plans to start online recruitment through the use of a digital Occurrence Book (OB), replacing the traditional manual Occurrence Book and introduce instant traffic fines to stop bribery and manipulation.
“Efforts to curb misconduct are ongoing, especially in recruitment and on our roads. Soon we will demonstrate how these processes will no longer be manipulated through online recruitment, a digital Occurrence Book (OB),” part of the statement reads.
