NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenya’s police force is facing intense scrutiny as oversight bodies struggle to hold rogue officers accountable, amid growing calls from the public for justice.
A recent report by the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has revealed significant challenges in addressing extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, shedding light on systemic issues that continue to hinder efforts for reform.
IPOA Chair Issack Hassan spoke out during the launch of the Missing Voices report at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) offices in Nairobi.
The report, compiled by a coalition of human rights organizations, highlights the difficulty IPOA faces in holding the police accountable for acts of violence and misconduct.
Hassan decried the entrenched culture of non-cooperation within the police force, which has obstructed investigations into police brutality.
“The police have perfected stonewalling tactics,” Hassan said, explaining that IPOA’s investigators are routinely denied access to crucial documents, including firearm registers and deployment records.
He also noted that accused officers often refuse to appear for questioning, leaving IPOA unable to complete its investigations.
Hassan also raised concerns over the overwhelmed IPOA staff, which consists of fewer than 80 officers, compared to the more than 700 needed to effectively carry out its duties.
Furthermore, IPOA’s efforts are undermined by the lack of action from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which has been slow to process the files IPOA has submitted.
Of the 60 files related to the Gen Z protests that IPOA has investigated, only 22 have been completed and forwarded to the ODPP, with many of them returned for unclear reasons.
The Missing Voices report, which brings together organizations like Haki Africa, Defenders Coalition, and the Kenya Human Rights Commission, documented a troubling rise in enforced disappearances.
In 2024, the number of disappearances surged by 450%, reaching 55 cases compared to just 10 in the previous year.
While extrajudicial killings decreased by 12%, the growing trend of disappearances raises grave concerns, as these cases leave little evidence for investigation.
The report’s findings underscore the escalating crisis of impunity within the police force, which has been accused of using enforced disappearances as a tool to avoid accountability.
No officers have been prosecuted for these crimes, despite the mounting evidence of police misconduct.
The situation has prompted urgent calls for reform. Fath Odhiambo, president of the Law Society of Kenya, has called for changes in the law to ensure that police officers implicated in abuses step down from their duties while facing legal action.
“These officers still have access to police stations, records, and weapons, allowing them to interfere with investigations. Public officers are required to step down when charged with criminal offenses—police officers should be held to the same standard,” Odhiambo said.
Human rights organizations are pushing for sweeping reforms within the National Police Service (NPS) to prevent a recurrence of the violent policing witnessed in 2024.
They are also demanding that IPOA and the ODPP act swiftly on cases involving command responsibility, especially in relation to deaths during protests.
The coalition is calling on the government to fully implement the National Coroner’s Service Act to ensure independent investigations into all deaths, and to allocate adequate funds to the Victim Protection Fund for reparations for the victims of extrajudicial killings and disappearances.
Furthermore, they urge the government to fulfill its commitment to ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, a treaty Kenya signed in 2007, and to criminalize enforced disappearances under domestic law.
The situation presents a grim picture of police impunity and institutional dysfunction, with oversight bodies such as IPOA struggling to address abuses within the force.
Without meaningful reform and cooperation between the police, oversight bodies, and the judiciary, justice for the victims of police violence will remain out of reach.
