By Faridah N Kulumba
Africa-Press-Kenya The Republic of Kenya’s security force consists of the armed forces known as Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). These are made up of the Kenya Army, and Kenya Air Forces. Their primary assignment is to defend and protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kenya, under the commander-in-chief the President of Kenya.
Kenya Army’s second mission is to Aid the civil authority and has continuously participated in international Peace Support Operations in Africa. Like many other Kenyan government institutions, the Armed forces are also facing some challenges due to different factors like corruption, terrorism attacks, tribalism, and many others.
Corruption
Police
Corruption is like cancer that is spreading in the National police organs of Kenya hence threatening the country’s security. Corruption challenges are persistent in police, representing a systemic failure of governance in which principal institutions responsible for ensuring police governance, the observance of ethics and integrity stands and enforcing the rule of law are compromised and may themselves be infected with corrupt individuals and syndicates. The nature and extent of police corruption in Kenya is nearly always a function of larger systemic problems caused by the lack of overall transparency, the absence of checks and balances, weak rule of law, and fragile institutions.
The impact of endemic corruption in police service leads to elevated levels of crime, terrorism, and police brutality. Kenya National Police Service (KPFS) is one of the institutions in Kenya with the highest rate of corruption, where bribery is reported as a routine way of living among police officers. The police force frequently engages in crimes such as false imprisonment, fabrication of charges, and abuse of human rights to extort bribes, but no action is taken.
Corruption on terrorism
Many Kenyans have lost their lives due to the high level of corruption in Kenya’s security forces not only undermines counter-terrorism efforts but also provides extremists with funding access and motivation. Kenya’s security and police force are known to take bribes and collaborate with extremists, allowing easy access for al-Shabaab operatives.
Ethnic nepotism conflicts
There have been many incidents of nepotism or favoritism in KPFS, these include allegations of questionable promotions where particular individuals have jumped a number of ranks apparently due to their connections to senior officers. Other people have been appointed to senior posts without having the necessary qualifications, experience, and skills and despite the availability of better-qualified candidates. These acts pose serious risks and dangers to the effective functioning of police agencies.
Concerns
Ethnic conflict and national security are the topics of great concern to policymakers. Kenya like many states in the world is multi-ethnic and ethnic groups in such states are mobilized by political elites in order to take up political control and governance of the country as a way of ensuring control of state resources for the benefit of the ethnic group. The result of such ethnic political mobilization is an ethnic competition that often ends in ethnic conflicts.
Terrorism act challenges
The 2019 terror attack on a Complex hotel in Nairobi, put Kenya’s Security Agencies under scrutiny and drew attention to the security situation. The extent to which Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabaab infiltrated the country and evaded security agencies. Kenya has been attacked by al-Shabaab militants in the past years. In 2015 the same group attacked Garissa University College in North Eastern Kenya Province, leaving 148 people dead. And in 2013, 71 people died including the four gunmen at Westgate shopping mall in an attack linked to al-Shabaab.
After the 2013 and 2015 attacks, the Kenyan government changed the way they carried out counterterrorism activities and led to increased monitoring of the porous Somalia border. But the 2019 attack was a surprise to Kenyans. The continuous threats to Kenya bring a question to whether the counter-terrorism practiced by the country’s security is counterproductive.
Impunity in police
Human rights abuse
Acts of brutality and impunity are still a challenge in Kenya’s police. They are a legacy of British colonial rule when the role of the police was to protect the interests of the administration not to serve the interest of the citizens. The abuse and misuse of policing power have often been witnessed during some arrests, mostly when the police officers are called in to halt protests or to resolve disputes. This has led to many Kenyans losing their lives and many left injured. Policing agencies continue to use excessive force on the poor and vulnerable, and in some cases, rogue officers obstruct operations oversight authorities due to a lack of accountability structures within the agencies.
Politics in police
Political interference in the operations of police, this habit has contributed much in increasing the acts of impunity which have led to people losing trust in the police when it comes to protection. Police officers have boldly perpetrated crimes and violations against citizens without fear of punishment or reprisals.
Between 2007 and 2008 when Kenyans were protesting after the general elections, police officers and state security agents participated in brutalizing the very people they were deployed to protect. Some women were gang-raped by police officers. In 2013 three of the victims who were raped were among the eight survivors who appeared in the High Court in Nairobi, to seek justice from the state for its failure to protect them, and to conduct thorough investigations and prosecutions of the perpetrator. In 2020 the High court ruled in the favor of four of the petitioners in the case, awarding them with compensation of KES 4million (approximately 35,000 USD). The court found that the Government of Kenya was responsible for a failure to conduct independent and effective investigations and prosecutions on sexual and gender-based violence-related crimes. This case is among many cases where police officers are allegedly involved in human rights abuse.
