Six police reforms have been identified as key priority areas that the incoming Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai should focus on and deliver within 100 days in office.
The six priority areas were identified by a consortium of lobby goups including Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ-K), International Commission of Jurists–Kenya (ICJ-K), Legal Resources Foundation (LRF), International Justice Mission (IJM) and the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU).
Top on the priority list is crime prevention and response, human rights compliance, the integrity of police officers, independence of the Office of the Inspector General, management of police welfare and community policing.
Human rights compliance has been a contentious issue in Kenya with police frequently being accused of extra-judicial killings and use of excessive force on unarmed civilians resulting in unnecessary deaths and injuries.
The consortium is also calling for a clean-up of the police force to get rid of officers currently implicated in illegalities with full investigation and prosecution of the officers.
A report submitted by Amnesty International on behalf of the Police Reforms Working Group-Kenya (PRWG-K) urges Mutyambai to reorganize the police command structure and enforce a zero-tolerance approach to extra-judicial killings as well as mysterious disappearances of suspects.
Taking over from Boinnet and more changes
A joint statement igned by the 19 lobby groups read in part that “We extend a hand of partnership to the incoming IG as he embarks on his duty to transform the NPS into an accountable, professional and human rights-compliant institution, in line with our constitutional aspirations, national legislation, and a comprehensive police reforms agenda”.
The petition coms barely three days after MPs unanimously endorsed a report recommending Mutyambai’s appointment.
He will take over from Joseph Boinnet whose tenure was marked with achievements and misses in equal measure.
With Wednesday’s approval what remains is an official appointment by President Uhuru Kenyatta followed by swearing in before Chief Justice David Maraga.
An uphill task facing him is eliminating corruption within the police service that has been ranked as one of the most corrupt bodies in the past.