Police reforms: A process, not an opportunistic event

Police are the visible representation of the government and thus serve as an important interface between the government and its populace.

By virtue of this, it is essential that the behaviour, characteristics, and practices of the police reflect those of a government that is service-oriented, professional, accountable, transparent, and honest, among other virtues central to democratic policing. Unfortunately, the reverse has often been true, as the National Police Service has frequently represented the antithesis of these ideals. Kenya’s policing regime is in a crisis.

The clamour for genuine police reforms in Kenya gained momentum in 2008 following the 2007/2008 post-election violence that led to the deaths of over 1,000 people. These deaths were attributed to both acts of commission and omission by the then police force during efforts to maintain law and order. The Philip Waki-led Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence recommended the establishment of a task force on police reforms, a recommendation that was honoured by the president and the prime minister, leading to the establishment of the National Task Force on Police Reforms in Kenya led by Philip Ransley in 2009.

In fulfilling its mandate, the Ransley task force underscored the importance of public participation in policing matters and reached out to a cross-section of actors to gather their views on the kind of police force they envisioned, a policing institution for the people.

The task force received both oral and written submissions from faith-based organisations, government institutions, civil society organisations and the general public. The task force worked for nearly a year, beyond the initially proposed period due to the magnitude of the workload, and eventually submitted its report to the appointing authority.

Police reforms

The report put forth over 200 recommendations for effective reform of the then police force. Recognising the complexity of police reform, the task force proposed the establishment of a police reforms implementation committee to track the progress of these recommendations, ensuring that Kenyans could ultimately reap the benefits of police reforms.

In submitting its report, the task force opined that: “Police reforms need to impact positively on the confidence levels of the public as well as the morale of police members. The way in which the government deals with police reforms will determine whether new hope is engendered both within the public and the police, that things are turning around and that a safer Kenya awaits them.”

Fifteen years later, this statement remains relevant. The Kenyan Government continues to treat police reforms as a reaction to unrest rather than as a continuous process requiring genuine investment in both soft and hard infrastructures. The events of June 25, 2025 and the death of Albert Ojwang have seen the State operatives again open the conversation about reforms within the police.

Sophisticated weapons

For many in this group, reforming the police means establishing task forces, installing CCTV cameras, purchasing more sophisticated weapons, increasing police salaries and allowances, and granting the police greater powers, including controversially the power to kill. For them, police reform is an event, one that simply requires resources to address. They fail to understand that police reform requires investment in both soft and hard aspects, and that neither should be considered more important than the other.

Government bureaucrats and state operatives must stop viewing police reforms as a series of isolated events such as; the establishment of institutions, the enactment of laws, appointments to new bodies or increased funding for the police.

 These are all events, not processes. Reforming the police must be seen as a continuous process that requires cultural change, separation of the police from the executive arm of Government, accountability for human rights violations committed by the police, adherence to relevant laws and policies, alignment with international standards, implementation of recommendations from various police reform task forces, and embracing democratic policing principles among others.

The government must take its rightful place in reforming the police, as a reformed police service will be a cornerstone of the country’s development.

Mr Omondi is an Assistant Director at the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). [email protected]