Why Nairobi needs its own police force

By Muthoga Kioni

The time for Nairobi County to have its own specialised police force is now. The recent Westgate attack brought this need to the fore and Nairobians need to contemplate and debate this issue.

Cities are not only the places where people’s security is most sharply challenged but they also represent the best place for providing high-level of security for the greatest number of people.

Cities are also the confluence of opportunities, ingenuity and power in many countries. High quality education and healthcare are more easily accessed in cities. Cities therefore become focal points of a country’s abstract and physical wealth and security is as a result of paramount importance.

Most large cities in the world have their own police forces. In some cases a City Police Force exists alongside a County and State/Regional police force. At the apex of this structure is the National Police Force that primarily reports to the national government.

The question that comes to mind is: Why would Nairobi City need its own police force? The justifications are varied but the most persuasive one is specialisation.

Nairobi faces unique challenges. Its population in 1989 was approximately 1,324,570. Ten years later, in 2009, it was 3,138,369. Its population growth rate is estimated to be 7 per cent per annum.

Its fast-growing population growth and rapid urbanisation means that security for the city dwellers must be guaranteed. Its growing multi-race and multi-ethnic population becomes a target for criminals and terrorists.

As a regional economic hub, foreign investors wanting to set up base in East and Central Africa mostly opt for Nairobi as their forward base.

A dedicated and specialised urban police force that understands the security challenges facing this urban sprawl is hence important.

As a national seat of government and regional hub of international commerce and trade, Nairobi has a complex web of relationships among various levels of local and international governance.

This is illustrated by the presence of large organisations like UNEP, multinationals, diplomatic offices and industries. Nairobi’s security requirements, therefore, require a specialised approach. This approach can only be affirmed by a police force dedicated to the protection of its urban citizens and entities.

A Nairobi police force would be able to analyse, formulate and implement strategies that can combat urban crime and terrorism without being shackled by threats outside its urban environment.  For example, the response to the Westgate attack would have been more easily coordinated by an urban police force trained specifically to operate in the Nairobi urban environment.

Institutional memory is another reason Nairobi needs its own police force. Security in any urban context is synonymous with close contact. This requires a different mindset and special urban training right from the foot policeman to the commander. Our response to hardcore urban criminals, and terrorists, would be more effective if we had an experienced pool of police officers who have trained and worked in Nairobi all throughout their careers.

 The skills and knowledge gained from working in a dynamic urban city means that innovative approaches to carjacking, muggings, kidnappings and other crime can be developed and tested. These lessons would then be pooled in the urban police force.

Geopolitical instability is another important reason. For decades the region has witnessed the fraying of stability in various neighbouring states like Somalia.

The lawlessness in such countries created power vacuums that were swiftly occupied by terrorists espousing religious extremism.

Nairobi has therefore become a target of geopolitical instability and this threat can only be effectively countered by a City Police Force which can concentrate on monitoring the dynamics of the urban underworld. The foregoing requires a shift in security response.

If Nairobi is to counter these criminal/terrorist threats it must also mirror these dangers with a Nairobi Police Force that is as mobile, ingenious and flexible as the enemy is.

— The writer is an ICT Security and Forensic Specialist.