Why Kenya police stations are getting modern makeover

A view of the Nairobi Central police station on June 20, 2025 [David Gchuru, Standard] In a bid to offer quality services, plans are underway to construct decent police stations across the country currently dotted with dilapidated facilities build decades ago. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said most of the stations are relics of the colonial era, and therefore, there is need for a facelift. According to the CS, his ministry as already prepared a model design that will be replicated everywhere as the government moves to improve service delivery through modernisation of police stations. "Most of the police stations are dilapidated, having been built during the colonial era, and that's why we have embarked on the journey of upgrading them to the modern status complete with CCTV cameras," said Murkomen during the final edition of the Jukwaa La Usalama held in Nairobi on Thursday. The government will engage MPs to utilise some money from National Government - Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) towards this cause, which will extent to offices for Chiefs, and Assistant County Commissioners. Many of the current stations have no adequate water, electricity is unreliable, have no provisions for the disabled, lack kitted first aid boxes, there are no clear signage, fire extinguishers are unavailable, no clean toilets, there is inadequate ventilation and beddings. Stakeholders have persistently raised concern over the deplorable state of police stations with Independent Policing Authority (IPOA) urging the government to improve the facilities. In its inspection report on Police Infrastructure and Detainee Welfare released in 2022, the authority detailed lack of basic amenities in most stations. That out of the 100 stations inspected, the poor state exposed how evidence and firearms were at risk of being stolen since a significant number of exhibit stores, record offices and armouries were either lacking or in dilapidated state. "Our officers and citizens deserve better, the modern stations will be people-friendly; and we're serious about this resolve," Murkomen told the gathering where Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja castigated traffic police officers for failing to tame boda boda riders willingly breaking the law. Sakaja wondered why traffic officers found it difficult to arrest boda operators riding on the wrong side on the road, pedestrian walkways and along pavements. "We have a serious problem in this city where boda operators have become law onto themselves. More often, I see the riders zoom on the wrong side past officers who do nothing at the obvious violation of traffic rules," lamented Sakaja. According to Sakaja, the riders not only posed security risks as their reckless actions have immensely contributed to road accidents. "There is a whole ward at Kenyatta National Hospital where those admitted are patients from boda accident scenes. This is very disheartening yet we have traffic police officers who are supposed to ensure the city is orderly," said the governor. Speakers at the event identified corruption, criminal gangs, consumption of illicit brews and drugs, chaotic public transport, mushrooming of kiosks, lack of street lights, garbage, clogged drainages as their major headache contributing to insecurity. Chiefs who spoke expressed their frustrations at how the fight against illicit brews had been lost due to frustration by police officers whom they claimed were protecting dealers in exchange of bribes. They recounted on countless times dealers in illegal brews are released on flimsy grounds. "Mr CS, recently a launched a crackdown netting 5,000 litres and arresting the main suspect who I handed over to police, but before I reached my office, the man had been released. The following day he was in business as usual; I felt frustrated," said a chief from Kibra.

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