This archive report was first published on 21 June 2020.
Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai has announced plans to engage with the public on Twitter every Monday, in a bid to address various queries and concerns.
According to Mutyambai, there has been a clamour by the public to have a closer and keener engagement with the police, and he will dedicate an hour every alternate Monday to engage with the public personally on a live Twitter chat.
"The National Police Service has existing formal and viable structures of engagement with the public, this session will bolster the efforts of those structures. During these sessions, we will be sharing thoughts on improving our services to the public," Mutyambai said.
He added that he will be open to suggestions from the public and will also be taking note of issues that may need urgent attention from his office and from the public.
His announcement comes as the country continues to grapple with concerns over police conduct since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Cases of police brutality have been reported in various parts of the country, with more than one dozen people killed by police during a dusk to dawn curfew to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
As of March 2020, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) had noted 87 complaints against police, with 15 deaths and 31 incidents where victims sustained injuries directly linked to actions of police officers during the curfew enforcement.
President Kenyatta had acknowledged the presence of wayward personnel in the police service and reminded oversight agencies to execute their mandates, while also empowering them with resources and capacity to take decisive actions against offending police officers.
