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Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has unveiled an ambitious plan to overhaul the country’s policing systems, targeting all 1,209 police stations in Kenya with reforms that include CCTV surveillance, digitisation of occurrence books, community policing, regular performance audits, and continuous professional development.
In a national address on Monday, Murkomen said the reforms are designed to enhance transparency, accountability, and professionalism in the National Police Service.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen
CCTV Cameras
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One of the key reforms is the mandatory installation of CCTV surveillance in all police stations within the next two years.
“We shall be making proposals to Parliament to enact laws that criminalise tampering with CCTV cameras. The surveillance system shall be in the custody of the officer commanding station (OCS),” said Murkomen.
He added that the government will propose legislation to criminalise tampering with surveillance equipment.
While some stations have already installed CCTV systems on their own initiative, Murkomen noted that these efforts will now be standardised and fully sanctioned by the National Police Service.
Digital Occurrence Books
The second pillar of the reform agenda is the digitisation of occurrence books (OBs), the primary logs for reporting incidents at police stations.
Murkomen said the government is rolling out a tamper-proof digital OB system in line with the administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“We are now committed to the digitalisation of occurrence books to ensure all reported incidents can be traced and be tamperproof,” he said.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen
Community Policing Model
Murkomen also announced that every police station will be required to adopt a community policing model.
This initiative aims to foster stronger ties between officers and the public by integrating policing with local community structures.
“Every police station shall be mandated to adopt and steer community policing models to improve relations with citizens. This integration with the local community will lead to great accountability and improvement of working relations,” he said.
Training Framework
To track progress and ensure accountability, the Interior CS directed the immediate development of a policy framework for independent audits of police conduct, resources, and operations.
These regular evaluations will involve civil society, religious leaders, and other stakeholders.
Outstanding officers and stations will be recognised and awarded based on both performance and ethical standards.
“We are creating systems that evaluate officers based not just on performance metrics but also community relations and adherence to the requisite ethical standards. This framework shall establish both the criteria for award and sanction of respective police officers,” Murkomen stated.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen
Professional Development
The fifth reform targets professional development. OCS officers and others in command will now be required to undergo annual training focused on constitutional standards and service delivery.
A new curriculum is being developed, and the ministry is seeking partnerships and budgetary allocations to support sustained training.
“To achieve this, we shall work closely with the National Treasury and Parliament to ensure that adequate resources are allocated. It is unfortunate that whenever budget cuts strike, training is often the first casualty,” Murkomen said.
Looking ahead, Murkomen promised that upcoming police recruitment exercises would target specialised talent to modernise the service.
All reforms, he emphasised, will be implemented through the command structure of the OCS, which he described as the “ultimate officer in charge” at the station level.
Murkomen’s comprehensive reform plan signals a shift in the government’s approach to policing, anchoring service delivery at the police station level and emphasising transparency, digital innovation, and community trust.
Following the address, all eyes will be on whether these reforms translate into real, lasting change in how law and order are maintained in the country.