Contribution of the independent policing oversight authority to police accountability in Kenya

Abstract

This study focused on the contribution of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to police accountability in Kenya. It thus established that the National Police Service (NPS) is an important factor in the security sector of Kenya, it serves to; detect and prevent crime, maintain public order, investigate, crimes, and support the criminal justice system. To effectively discharge such duties, the police are legally endowed with the powers to arrest, detain, and use force. This monopolistic privilege to use force has been subject to numerous cases of abuse such as violently crushing demonstrations thereby leading to the deaths of citizens; thus calling for the need for an oversight body to ensure responsibility in the use of police powers. Kenya in a view to reform its police service established the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) in 2011 to help in promoting police accountability. Notwithstanding the existence of IPOA, complaints of Police misconduct have continued to rise, thus creating a contention as to whether the IPOA is really achieving its founding objectives. The study‘s overall objective was to evaluate the contribution of IPOA to police accountability in Kenya with the specific objectives being to: assess IPOA‘s complaint handling mechanism; evaluate IPOA‘s investigative capacity and examine the challenges IPOA faces in attempts to hold Police accountable for their actions. The study employed the use of Institutional theory to understand how IPOA interacts with the Police as an institution influencing institutional behavior. Similarly, the study adopted a mixed- method design incorporating the use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches for primary data collection. Fisher et al., (1998) formula was employed to arrive at the study‘s sample size which upon data collection and coding yielded 322 respondents drawn from IPOA, NPS, victims of Police misconducts, and actors within the criminal justice system; four categories of key informants interviews and Focused Group Discussions were employed for qualitative data collection while quantitative data was collected through questionnaires. Qualitative data was thematically analyzed thus generating themes around the three specific objectives whereas quantitative data was analyzed by way of simple descriptive statistics represented in histograms and percentages with the aid of Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS). The study established that IPOA‘s complaints handling mechanism had positively contributed to reporting of complaints of police misconducts thus fostering police accountability in Kenya, that IPOA‘s investigative capacity is aligned to the responsibilities bestowed on them as custodians of public interest in policing though not sufficiently staffed and finally that IPOA operates in a difficult environment. In conclusion, the study established that IPOA had a positive impact on police accountability in Kenya. The study made recommendations aimed at enhancing IPOA‘s capacity to uphold police accountability in Kenya. In conclusion, the study made suggestions for further research in the field of policing such as a comparative study of police accountability in Kenya and other countries with similar oversight initiatives