Photo: Xinhua

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority board is mandated to investigate any complaints related to disciplinary or criminal offences committed by any member of the National Police Service.

A civil society group has recommended the rehabilitation and development of police stations across the country as a strategic starting point to aid the ongoing police reforms.

Usalama Forum in a statement said that police stations which are poorly distribute across the country and ill equipped must be refurbished and supplied with the necessary equipment in order to serve Kenyans better.

Mr. Charles Otieno, a consultant for the group who read the statement on its behalf said, "Crime is still high and majority of Kenyans are living under fear of crime and insecurity.

The problem can easily be traced to our police stations." He further stated that the government's approach and strategy to reforms has proven to be unworkable and needs to be readjusted.

The society recommended that in order to achieve the reforms fully, performance contracting for any person or institution charged with the police reforms must be adopted, and service delivery should be the centerpiece of such contracts.

On the part of the police administration, the forum recommended that police leaders must themselves come up with workable strategies and operational choices as this will even encourage community cooperation and partnership drive out organised criminal gangs which are taking over communities and streets with little to no intervention from police.

The report comes in the wake of the killing of 32 police officers in a bandit attack on Saturday. The officers were reportedly ill-equipped when they were attacked by cattle rustlers in Baragoi, Samburu.