Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has ordered a raft of reforms targeting police stations across the country, key among them the mandatory installation of CCTV cameras in all stations within the next two years.
Under the new directive, each police station will be required to have functional CCTV surveillance systems, including live monitoring accessible by the Officer Commanding Station (OCS). The footage must be backed up securely to aid future investigations.
Murkomen further directed that all instances of assault or misconduct within stations be reported within an hour, with the CCTV systems expected to play a central role in ensuring accountability.
This will be rolled out across all 1,209 police stations in Kenya, with Parliament set to enact legislation that criminalises the deletion of CCTV footage.
Additionally, the CS announced the full digitisation of Occurrence Books (OBs) across all police stations in a year. He said this would ensure that every report filed can be tracked, audited, and verified in real time to eliminate tampering and increase transparency.
Adding to these changes, Murkomen announced a community-focused integration plan to improve public trust and service delivery. He revealed that police operations will undergo regular independent audits to assess effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. High-performing officers and stations will be publicly recognised and rewarded.
''Officers will be required to work together with civil groups, religious groups, and local communities, and this shall undergo regular evaluation to see who is adhering to the set protocols,'' he directed.
To anchor the reforms, the CS directed the rollout of continuous development training, starting with OCSs, who will undertake minimum constitutional and professional conduct courses aimed at enhancing discipline, rights-based policing, and efficient service delivery.
“I have directed that continuous development training begin immediately, starting with OCSs, who will undergo minimum constitutional training to improve professionalism and accountability in the police service,” Murkomen stated.
Parliament and the Treasury will be working closely with his ministry to avail funds for the training exercises according to the outspoken CS. However, the CS decried cosntant budget cuts highlighting that training was the most affected.
Meanwhile, Murkomen highlighted challenges in implementing Article 244 of the Constitution, which defines the objectives and functions of the National Police Service. He noted that the article demands high standards of professionalism, discipline, and strict adherence to human rights, areas where gaps persist.
Nevertheless, pressure continues to mount on the CS to direct Deputy Inspector General of Police Eliud Lagat to step aside over the ongoing investigation. However, the CS has insisted that the due legal process must be followed.
Meanwhile, social media platforms have been flooded with calls for protests scheduled for Tuesday, with demonstrators expected to demand Lagat’s resignation over his alleged connection to the circumstances surrounding the death of blogger Albert Ojwang while in police custody.
