Citizens’ Perspective on the Influence of Police Reforms on Post-Conflict Corruption Management in Migori County, Kenya

Rose Wanjiku Muthee; Ruth Naliaka Simiyu; Susan Namaemba Kimokoti

doi:10.51867/ajernet.4.2.128

Authors

Rose Wanjiku Muthee
rossnjiro@gmail.com
Master’s Student, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya
Ruth Naliaka Simiyu Lecturer, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5557-1721
Susan Namaemba Kimokoti Lecturer, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6424-7748

Keywords:

Anti-Corruption, Citizens' Perspective, Police Corruption Management, Police Reforms, Post-Conflict Societies

Abstract

Re-emergence of conflict instigated by post-conflict police corruption is a real global concern. Contemplating this risk, most peace deals incorporate anti-corruption police reforms. Police reforms were adopted in Kenya following the 2007/8 post-election violence, in which high levels of police corruption were featured as one of the grievances that triggered the violence. However, despite more than a decade of reforms, positive peace is still elusive. International and national actors have voiced concerns over the fear of a repeat of the 2007/08 violence due to police impunity. This study, therefore, aimed to examine the effect of police reforms on post-conflict police corruption management in Migori County. The study was informed by the organizational theory of police corruption. A sequential exploratory design was used. The study area was Suna East Subcounty of Migori County. The total study population was 427 participants, comprising 398 household heads, 6 Focus Group Discussions (FGD) participants representing common victims of police corruption, and 23 key informants drawn from Boda Boda and Matatu operators, business owners, MYWO, youth, media, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake (MYWO), youth, media, Faith-Based Organizations (FBO), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), magistrates, prosecutors, Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), Internal Affairs Unit (IAU), Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Deputy County Commissioner (DCC), and police, Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU), and Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) commanders. Results show that police reforms (IAU, salary increment strategy, recruitment, training, IPOA, and vehicle leasing program) have had no effect at all on the management of police corruption in Migori County. The study concludes that citizens perceive that the influence of police reforms on post-conflict police corruption management has been insignificant in Migori County. The study recommends the government should: restructure, reengineer, and remodel NPS, IAU, IPOA, and EACC to enhance their efficiency in police corruption management.

Author Biography

Rose Wanjiku Muthee, Master’s Student, Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kakamega, Kenya

Department of peace and Conflict Studies, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology

Masters Student

Dimensions

REFERENCES

Aremu, A., Pakes, F., & Johnston, L. (2011). The moderating effect of emotional intelligence on the reduction of corruption in the Nigerian Police. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 12(2), 195-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2010.536724

https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2010.536724 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15614263.2010.536724

Blumberg, D. M., Giromini, L., & Jacobson, L. B. (2015). Impact of Police Academy Training on Recruits' Integrity. Police Quarterly, 19(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611115608322 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1098611115608322

Cabral, S., & Lazzarine, S. (2015). The "Guarding the Guardians" Problem: An analysis of the organizational performance of the internal affairs division. Journal of Public Administration and Research Theory, 5(7), 56-76.

https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muu001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muu001

Carter, J., & Eric Grommon. (2017). Officer perceptions of the impact of mobile broadband technology on police operations. Policing and Society, 27(8), 847-864. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2015.1112388 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2015.1112388

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. (2015). The fight against corruption in Kenya: Achievements, experiences, challenges and the way forward. Nairobi: Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission. Retrieved from http://eaaaca.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EACC-Report-for-EAAACA-Conference-2015.pdf

Faull, A. (2016). Book Review: Security in the bubble: Navigating crime in urban South Africa. International Criminal Justice Review, 26(3), 281-283. https://doi.org/10.1177/1057567716630590 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1057567716630590

Filstad, C., & Gottschalk, P. (2011). Performance evaluation of police oversight agencies. Policing & Society - POLIC SOC, 21(6), 96-109. https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2010.540653 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10439463.2010.540653

Fitri, R. L., Handaru, A. W., & Yohana, C. (2021). The Effect of Recruitment, Selection, and Placement on Employee Performance. The International Journal of Social Sciences World (TIJOSSW), 3(2), 90-97. https://growingscholar.org/journal/index.php/TIJOSSW/article/view/137

Foltz, J. D., & Opuk-Agyemang, A. (2015). Do Higher Salaries Lower Petty Corruption? A Policy Experiment on West Africa's Highways. International Growth Centre Journal, 7(3), 56-59.

Gabow, N. Y., & Muraya, J. K. (2020). The Correlation between Motor Vehicle Lease Program and the Efficiency of Police Operations in Kayole Sub County, Nairobi. International Journal of Advances in Scientific Research and Engineering, 6(6), 123-138.

https://doi.org/10.31695/IJASRE.2020.33836 DOI: https://doi.org/10.31695/IJASRE.2020.33836

Gachihi, M. C., & Mwangi, Z. (2021). Assessment of Motor Vehicle Leasing on Performance of Policing Functions in Kenya. A Study of Starehe Subcounty Nairobi City, County. Grandmark Publishers.

Gastrow, P. (2009). In search of safety: Police transformation and public responses in Kenya. Daedalus, 130(1), 259-275.

Global Peace Index. (2017). Measuring Peace in a Complex World. Institute for Economics and Peace.

Global Peace Index. (2021). Measuring Peace in A Complex World. Institute of Economics and Peace.

Höglund, K. (2009). Electoral Violence in Conflict-Ridden Societies: Concepts, Causes, and Consequences. Terrorism and Political Violence, 21(3), 412-427.

https://doi.org/10.1080/09546550902950290 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09546550902950290

Human Rights Watch. (2022). Police Impunity Raises Election Risk. Authorities Yet to Investigate Killings by Security Forces Linked to 2017 Voting. Nairobi, 2015.

Ibikunle, F., & Adefihan, B. (2018). Effectiveness of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Policing in Nigeria. Scottish Journal of Arts, Social Sciences and Scientific Studies, 9(8), 90-103. ISSN 2047-1278

Karia, O. A., et al. (2016). Impact of recruitment and selection on performance of the Public Water Utilities in Tanzania. African Journal of Education and Human Development, 7(4), 46-49.

Kimwele, M. B., & Nyabuto, G. (2022). Effectiveness of Independent Police Oversight Authority in Enhancing Police Performance in Starehe Sub County Nairobi County Kenya. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 12(7), 45-54.

https://doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.12.07.2022.p12718 DOI: https://doi.org/10.29322/IJSRP.12.07.2022.p12718

Kingoo, Z. M., & Njoroge, J. (2019). Effects of Training on Performance in National Police Service in Kenya: Case of General Service Unit Officers Nairobi. American Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 4(1), 56-59. https://doi.org/10.47672/ajppa.391

https://doi.org/10.47672/ajppa.391 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47672/ajppa.391

KNCHR. (2016). disSERVICE to THE SERVICE Report of the Monitoring of the 2016 Recruitment of Police Constables to the National Police Service. Kenya National Commission on Human Rights.

Kumssa, A. (2015). Police Corruption: A Perspective on its Nature and Control. Donnish Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 1(1), 001-008.

Kutnjak Ivkovic, S., & Shelley, T. (2010). The Code of Silence and Disciplinary Fairness: A Comparison of Czech Police Supervisor and Line Officer Views. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 33(92), 548-574. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639511011066908 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13639511011066908

Lindenmayer, E., & Lianna, J. (2009). A Choice for Peace. The Story of Forty-One Days of Mediation in Kenya. International Peace Institute. New York.

Maina, P., et al. (2021). Influence of Employee Involvement as a Workforce Agility Practice on Service Delivery of Police Officers in Nairobi City County, Kenya. IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM), 23(9), 51-59.

Miller, J., & D'Souza, A. (2016). Indirect effects of police searches on community attitudes to the police: Resentment or reassurance? British Journal of Criminology, 56(3), 456-478. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azv068 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azv068

Musya, M., & Njoroge, J. (2023). Effects of Compensation Types on Service Delivery in the National Police Service. A case of Narok County Kenya. Journal of International Social Science and Humanities, 2(4), 87-89.

Mwawasi, N. B., Ouma, D., & Norwin, F. (2022). Logistics reforms and operational performance of the National Police Service in Vihiga County Kenya: Application of the Police Escort Rationalization (Master's Thesis, Kaimosi Friends University).

Newburn, T. (2015). Literature review: police integrity and corruption. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, London, UK.

Newham, G. (2005). Strengthening Democratic Policing in South Africa through Internal Systems for Officer Control. South African Review of Sociology, 36(2), 160-177. https://doi.org/10.1080/21528586.2005.10419136 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21528586.2005.10419136

Prenzler, T. (2009). Police Corruption: Preventing Misconduct and Maintaining Integrity. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420077971 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420077971

Prenzler, T., & Lewis, H. (2005). Performance indicators for Police Oversight Agencies. Australian Journal of Public Administration, 64(11), 87-98.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8500.2005.00443.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8500.2005.00443.x

Probert, T., Kimari, B., & Ruteere, M. (2020). Strengthening Police Oversight and Investigations in Kenya. Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies, Nairobi.

Quah, J. S. T. (2018). Why Singapore works: five secrets of Singapore's success. Public Administration and Policy: An Asia-Pacific Journal, 21(1), 5-21. https://doi.org/10.1108/PAP-06-2018-002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PAP-06-2018-002

Sanny, J. A.-N., & Logan, C. (2020). Citizens' negative perceptions of police extend well beyond Nigeria's #EndSARS. Accra, Ghana: Afrobarometer.

Stenning, P. C. (2000). Powers and Accountability of Private Police. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 8(1), 325-352.

https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008729129953 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008729129953

Tengpongsthorn, W. (2016). Factors Affecting the Effectiveness of Police Performance in Metropolitan Police Bureau. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 5(3), 56-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss.2016.07.001 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss.2016.07.001

Van Montfort, Beck, L., & Twijnstra, A. (2013). Can Integrity Be Taught in Public Organizations? Public Integrity, 15(2), 117-132. https://doi.org/10.2753/PIN1099-9922150201 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2753/PIN1099-9922150201

Waki Commission. (2008). Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Post-Election Violence. Nairobi.

Waruiru, J., & Rugami, M. (2022). The Influence of Police Reforms on Service Delivery in Mombasa County, Kenya. International Journal of Public Policy and Administration, 1(1), 1-26. Available at: https://carijournals.org/journals/index.php/IJPPA/article/view/816

Williams, H. (2002). Core Factors of Police Corruption Across the Globe. Forum on Crime and Society, 2(1), 78-89.