Community policing in Kenya

The World Bank (2010) refers to Kenya’s capital as one of the most crime-ridden cities in Africa; crime and violence is a daily occurrence for most Kenyans. In an effort to improve community–police relations in Kenya following the post-election violence in 2007, the Ransley Report made recommendations to the Kenyan police that are based on democratic policing principles. A lack of police accountability and civilian oversight of the police were highlighted as key issues within the report. It was recognised that the lack of procedural justice leads to a lack of trust and collaboration between communities and the police (Republic of Kenya, 2009). It is, however, acknowledged that the police service in Kenya is unsupported, under-resourced and works in challenging circumstances (CHRI, 2007; CHRI, 2014) and therefore currently there is a need for complementary community safety projects and resources. From qualitative research conducted in Kenya in 2015 this paper will argue that policing can be improved within Kenya if there is community collective action, with supported leadership, which operates in collaboration with police adhering to democratic policing principles, although this is not without its challenges.