Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced an ambitious set of reform measures targeting Kenya’s police stations, vowing to transform them into “centres of excellence” amid mounting public scrutiny over police accountability.
Speaking on Monday, Murkomen outlined a multi-pronged overhaul of the National Police Service (NPS), promising enhanced transparency, digitization, and stricter internal oversight. Central to these changes is a directive that all 1,209 police stations be fitted with CCTV cameras over the next two years — with the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) personally accountable for their operation.
In what appears to be a move to counter growing concerns about evidence tampering, the CS said he will be tabling proposals in Parliament to criminalize interference with surveillance systems. Additionally, any CCTV malfunction must be officially reported within an hour.
“Every minute of footage matters,” Murkomen said. “Failure to account for surveillance downtime will not be tolerated.”
The reforms arrive at a particularly sensitive time, as investigations into the suspicious death of blogger Albert Ojwang’ in police custody continue to dominate national headlines. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) recently disclosed that key CCTV recordings from Central Police Station where Ojwang’ was last seen alive are missing.
In an effort to close such accountability gaps, Murkomen directed all police stations to digitize their occurrence books within a year. The current handwritten system, long seen as vulnerable to manipulation, will be replaced with secure, tamper-proof digital records.
He also announced the rollout of continuous professional development training for all officers. Each member of the force will be required to undergo mandatory annual courses aimed at improving discipline, ethics, and service delivery.
The reforms don’t stop there. Police conduct will be subject to regular, independent audits. The ministry also intends to bolster community policing programs in partnership with religious groups and the Law Society of Kenya to rebuild trust between officers and the public.
“These changes are not cosmetic,” Murkomen insisted. “They are about restoring the soul of policing in Kenya one station, one officer at a time.”
The entire reform agenda will be implemented under the command structure of each station’s OCS, ensuring localized responsibility and clear chains of accountability.
As the nation grapples with the fallout from Ojwang’s death, these sweeping measures represent one of the boldest attempts in recent years to confront longstanding issues within Kenya’s police service from internal rot to a culture of impunity. Whether they mark the beginning of genuine transformation remains to be seen.
