IPOA reviews 20,000 complaints, inspects 5,000 police facilities in five years

The Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA) has inspected more than 5,000 police premises and detention facilities, monitored nearly 1,000 policing operations affecting the public, and processed 20,112 complaints from citizens across the country over the past five years.

These achievements are outlined in the authority’s report on the 2019–2024 strategic plan, which laid the foundation for its newly launched 2025–2030 strategy.

"This work advanced IPOA's core mission despite non-cooperation challenges from the NPS and insufficient budget allocation," the strategy document released yesterday states.

Investigate policing operations

Under Section 6(c) of the IPOA Act, the authority is mandated to monitor and investigate policing operations that affect members of the public. This monitoring ensures that police officers operate within the law and respect human rights standards.

The report also highlights other milestones, including the development of regulations and policies to support IPOA’s mandate, recommendations to the National Police Service (NPS) with a 50 per cent uptake rate, complaint resolutions, inspections, and operational monitoring.

Between January and June last year alone, IPOA monitored 38 public order operations. It found that the NPS failed to meet the standards of Article 244 of the Constitution, which demands professionalism and accountability. The review noted instances of human rights violations where officers used excessive force, resulting in deaths and serious injuries.

Not adequately equipped

The report further observed that NPS had not adequately equipped officers to manage demonstrations, leaving them exposed to danger.

"Just to mention, I think so far we have over 40 police officers who have been investigated, prosecuted and convicted and are serving prison sentences. We continue to work with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions on matters of prosecution of these officers," said IPOA Chairman Ahmed Issack Hassan.

At a July briefing hosted by the Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU), the Police Reforms Working Group, and other civil society organisations ahead of the first Gen Z anniversary, IPOA’s Director of Inspections, Monitoring and Preventive Services, Munene Mugambi, said the Authority also plans to monitor the conduct of police officers during national primary and secondary school examinations.

He credited IPOA’s success in monitoring police operations to strong public support and partnerships with government agencies, development partners, and civil society groups.

"Police compliance with standards and accountability remains a core focus of the Authority's monitoring function," he told participants.

This year, IPOA’s report on police response to protests held between June and July 2025 revealed serious violations of constitutional policing standards, including excessive use of force, lack of professionalism, and failure to protect public safety and rights.

Criminal gangs

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The report also noted that criminal gangs infiltrated protests, undermining peaceful assembly and fuelling violence, injuries, and fatalities.

"The level of violence, looting and destruction of property by persons disguised as protesters and opportunistic goons was unprecedented and, in some instances, overwhelmed the police. Lessons must be learned from this by all affected stakeholders so as to inform better public order management in the future," the report recommended.

In the coming weeks, IPOA will also participate in monitoring the upcoming police recruitment exercise alongside agencies such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Office of the Ombudsman.

To implement its new Sh13 billion strategic plan, the authority says it will leverage technology and strengthen stakeholder collaboration to boost police accountability and build public trust in both IPOA and the police service.