Suspicious killings pile up across the country even as the police force faces one of its bloodiest years ever. In the first six months of the year, the police have reported an alarming rise in officer deaths, putting the country on track to the worst toll since Independence.

This should put a spotlight on the force’s ability not just to limit homicides, but to solve them.

Police statistics put the annual total of homicides at less than 2,000 with murder accounting for a little more than half of that. The number of these that go unsolved is unknown. Also unknown is the rate of underreporting, especially due to ‘missing persons’.

There is little evidence the police make extra effort to solve homicides as happens in most other countries. Take the executions of five people in Makindu District at the weekend: A victim/witness that could have provided information to solve four killings was not interviewed, left unguarded and news leaked of their surviving a murder attempt. Hours later he was professionally executed in his hospital bed.

Lapses in investigation of the killings are unlikely to be punished as long as the police place no premium on solving crimes.

Sunday killings of three men at Kampi ya Moto are yet another suspicious incident that betrays the poor quality of local policing. The tale of unarmed carjackers in Nakuru rings hollow.

Until all such crimes are investigated and solved, Kenya will continue to have room for extra-judicial killings and murder victims will rarely get justice.