Independent Policing Oversight Authority blames Kapedo killings on laxity among top officers

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) has blamed the Kapedo killings on laxity by top police command.

Ipoa Chairman Macharia Njeru said the police service lacks adequate structures that can prevent such attacks on Kenyans and the police themselves.

"The police leadership has been reduced to firefighting. They live in denial and continue to play victim by looking for excuses rather than owning up to the mess we find ourselves in," said Mr Njeru.

He added: "In responsible democracies, the top police command would have taken personal responsibility by now, including apologising to the public and possibly resigning."

He said that the service lacks planning in the fields of threats assessment, intelligence gathering and disaster preparedness, among other things.

He added there was need for a continuous review of the plan and an effective monitoring and evaluation mechanism.

"Our security gaps today are capable of being firmly dealt with if those responsible had a clarity of mind and purpose," he said during a press briefing at their offices yesterday.

POLICING SYSTEM

Njeru called on the police service to adopt an effective policing system through a coherent strategy to reduce the increasing incidents of insecurity.

"Successful jurisdictions have proven that. It involves preparation of annual policing plans with identification of security challenges and priorities based on the situation obtained in different regions," he pointed out.

This reaction comes just a few days after 22 police officers in the line of duty were killed by bandits.

Last Friday's incident in Turkana County saw officers lose 22 guns and thousands of bullets to the raiders.

Njeru said they had given their recommendations in a report they released late this year on the Mpeketoni attack that would guide the structure of the force in an effective manner.

"The deadline to implement the recommendations of the report has not yet passed and we hope they are being taken seriously," said Njeru.