Publication: Kenya - Economic Development, Police Oversight, and Accountability : Linkages and Reform Issues
Date
2009-09-16
ISSN
Published
2009-09-16
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
The objective of this study is to
contribute to the ongoing dialogue on police reform in
Kenya, where poor police services are eroding the
state's capacity to protect people and property,
thereby limiting the country's efforts in relation to
economic development and poverty reduction. Five years after
launching a series of programs and pilot projects to improve
police performance, the government of Kenya concluded that
the reform program achieved only limited success: the
country is continuing to experience high levels of crime and
inter-ethnic violence and other insecurity concerns. Since
2003, reforms have focused on addressing the chronic lack of
public confidence in the police and the persistence of
corruption at all levels of the police force. Many of the
reforms have been aimed at enhancing operational efficiency
and expanding institutional capacity, especially by
rehabilitating premises and purchasing vehicles. Despite
these efforts, the force continues to be seriously weakened
by structural dysfunction and extremely limited capacity,
which are at the center of the most serious governance
problems facing Kenya, namely, large-scale corruption, high
levels of crime, and interethnic violence. This study
supplements the Kenyan experience by drawing on police
reform research and experiences from Latin America and
elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Citation
“World Bank. 2009. Kenya - Economic Development, Police Oversight, and Accountability : Linkages and Reform Issues. © World Bank. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/3174 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”