IPOA admits inability to investigate abductions amid public concern

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has admitted it is unable to investigate the increasing cases of abductions in the country, despite mounting public concern over suspected police involvement.

Speaking during a meeting in Meru on Wednesday, IPOA chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan stated that while the public has linked security officers to the disappearances, the Inspector General of Police has denied any involvement. This, he said, has prevented IPOA from launching formal investigations.

“When you have people in hoods, using fake number plates while abducting people and taking them to different places, it becomes an issue that even police themselves must investigate,” he said.

He highlighted IPOA’s staffing and funding challenges, saying they significantly limit the authority’s ability to conduct thorough investigations.

“IPOA is 10 years old. It has an approved staff establishment of 1,300. It’s supposed to oversight a police force, which was established 135 years ago and has 120,000 police officers spread across the whole country. So you can imagine the scope of work,” he said.

He further explained that despite the approved establishment, IPOA only has 284 staff members, with just 77 serving as investigators. According to him, the authority ideally needs 600 investigators to effectively carry out its mandate.

“The ones that we have are already overworked. There’s burnout,” he said.

He revealed that the Authority plans to engage Parliament, specifically the committee on administration of justice and national security, to seek additional funding.

He noted that while the authority had intended to recruit 23 more staff members in the last budget, the allocation was scrapped, even as the police force was set to recruit 10,000 new officers.

“We are going to go back to Parliament, meet with the committee on administration of justice and national security, and get them to give us more funding,” he said.

Convictions

IPOA’s Chief Executive Officer, Elema Halake, reiterated Hassan’s remarks, disclosing that the authority had established links between police and abductions and had already presented preliminary findings in court.

He revealed that the authority has secured 34 convictions and is currently handling over 250 court cases related to police misconduct.

However, he indicated that IPOA can only take further action if the police acknowledge responsibility.

“These are only the criminal cases we have investigated and have been approved by the Director of Public Prosecution, and they are currently running in court. But besides that, we do a lot of administrative and disciplinary recommendations, which we have been sharing with the National Police Service Commission and, of course, the Inspector General of Police,” he said.

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On the issue of abductions, Halake maintained that IPOA is actively investigating the matter but has yet to determine the involvement of the police.

“We have been making follow-ups. We have been investigating. In recent cases, the position of the authority is that we have an ongoing investigation, which at this point, we can’t be able to say the police are involved or the police are not involved. It is a work in progress, and we will be able to give a conclusive position upon the finalisation of the investigation,” he said.

IPOA’s remarks come as public outrage grows, with many demanding action against police officers accused of orchestrating abductions, particularly targeting young people.

Political leaders from different sides have also criticised IPOA, accusing it of failing in its mandate and allowing the crisis to persist through inaction.