In a move aimed at increasing access to policing and improving public safety, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has announced the upgrading of 92 police posts into full police stations across the country.
The amendments were published in an October 3 notice, gazetted under Section 40(1) of the National Police Service Act.
The upgrades mean more communities many of them rural or previously underserved areas have better access to the main police services.
The new stations are distributed in a wide range of sub-counties including Bura East, Kiminini, Samburu West, West Pokot, Nyatike, Seme, Suba Central, Molo, Njoro, and Barindo North, among others.
Several strategic points of transport were also part of the upgrades. Manda Airstrip, Kisumu Airport, Kakamega Airport, Eldoret Airport, and Lokichogio Airstrip facilities have all been upgraded to station level.
Others include Murang’a Police Station in Sagana Railways Sub-county, Pioneer Police Station in Kapsaret, and Makutano Police Station in West Pokot.
To the great majority of such jurisdictions, the change entails more than administration alone. A police station, rather than a post, is configured to handle more diversified operations from criminal investigation and detention to service to victims and contact with the community.
Most of these centers were until recently staffed to handle only minor issues, and serious ones were generally referred to far-off stations.
This upgrade will enable them to handle such cases on their own, thereby conserving time and bringing about greater access to justice for the locals.
These new developments are all part of our ongoing commitment to policing the public, the public in the middle,” said a high-ranking police insider familiar with the rollout. “It’s about increasing visibility, response times, and trust in the system.”.
The transformation of a post to a station is dependent on criteria given by the National Police Service Commission.
They include local population requirements, preparedness in infrastructure, and the ability of the station to operate effectively.
The declaration comes in the aftermath of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen stating that the government is going to upgrade police stations throughout the nation.
Speaking to the nation on September 4, Murkomen stated that funds will be issued in the forthcoming supplementary budget to transform new and already established stations into modern, functional, and respectable facilities.
Under the new scheme, every police station will be equipped with gender desks, child protection units, safe armouries, OCS offices, and CCTV monitoring, among other essentials.
“We are moving away from temporary arrangements and stopgap construction,” Murkomen said. “Every new station must have clear specifications, including ICT readiness, so that our officers and the public get the services they deserve.”
Murkomen further stated that the government will build at least 300 new police stations across the country as part of a broader initiative to modernize the police service and improve community policing.
In the meantime, upgrading these 92 outposts is a tangible move in the right direction particularly for rural communities who have long grumbled that they had to travel huge distances in order to report a crime or call on the police to intervene.
With better infrastructure and human resources, the hope is that these new stations will not only enforce the law, but also forge stronger connections between the police and the public they serve.
