Moments after the The National Police Service (NPS) suspended several officers from Nairobi’s Central Police Station following the controversial death of Albert Omondi Ojwang while in police custody to pave way for investigation into the matter by the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA), former Senate Majority Leader Samuel Poghisio has cast doubt on the effectiveness of IPOA.
Poghisio has accused IPOA of over relying on an ineffective reactive approach. “IPOA needs to be proactive, not wait for police to commit heinous acts before saying someone will be kicked out or suspended,” he said. “IPOA needs to be proactive to prevent such heinous acts before they occur.”
Poghisio further insisted that accountability should not stop with junior officers instead IPOA should be focussed on high ranking police officers too to ensure accountability and transparency in all operations of police. “Police officers higher than the OCS must also be investigated,” he added.
Poghisio’s sentiments were echoed by Nyaribare Chache MP, Jhanda Zaheer, who urged IPOA to come out and act firmly or risk the trust of Kenyans.
“IPOA should come out very strongly otherwise we will not have faith in them, we shouldn’t just brush off things and say investigation is happening instead the police should up their game,” said Zaheer.
In the past, human rights groups have expressed dissatisfaction with IPOA due to delayed investigations connected to police brutality and abductions raising questions of its independence. On there part, IPOA has cited a number of challenges including a lack of cooperation from the police and difficulties in accessing evidence.
