Mombasa: The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has warned that inadequate funding, inadequate staffing, and poor cooperation from the National Police Service (NPS) are undermining its mandate of investigating complaints against police officers. Chairperson Isaac Hassan said the authority still relies on the Ministry of Interior to approve its budget before it is tabled in the National Assembly, a process that exposes the institution to bureaucratic delays and weakens its financial independence.

According to Kenya News Agency, Hassan emphasized that IPOA is supposed to be an independent body but currently depends on another institution to release funds, making it challenging to operate with full autonomy. He highlighted this issue during a training forum in Mombasa, where he noted that the authority currently has only 77 investigators and a total workforce of 284 staff to oversee a police force of about 125,000 officers. This significant imbalance slows down investigations, especially when compounded by deliberate resistance from police stations.

Hassan expressed concerns over the lack of access to vital documents such as the occurrence book (OB) and arms register in police stations, which are crucial for establishing accountability. This obstruction hampers the pace and quality of investigations. He disclosed that IPOA is handling 184 files linked to the post-election protests of 2022 and the recent ‘Gen Z’ demonstrations, many of which involve the use of live ammunition and alleged excessive force. These cases have been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for review and approval.

Hassan warned that the slow progress in concluding such cases erodes public trust in institutions meant to safeguard justice. He noted that the decline in public confidence contributes to escalating levels of hate speech and toxic language on social media, which eventually manifest in violence during protests.

However, Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) Director Boniface Maingi countered claims of hostility from the police service, asserting that IPOA and the IAU continue to collaborate on several cases. Maingi explained that while he may open files in incidents involving firearms or the death of protestors, the actual investigations are conducted by IPOA, and files from within the police service are sometimes handed over to IPOA for follow-up.

The funding challenge is not unique to IPOA, as the Witness Protection Agency (WPA) has also expressed concerns over inadequate allocations that threaten its ability to guarantee the safety of witnesses in sensitive cases. Director Nelson Njiri stated that maintaining one family of four under protection averages Sh5 million annually, with the state covering 99 percent of the agency’s operating expenses. Despite budgetary limitations, the agency remains instrumental in ensuring the successful conclusion of many court cases by shielding witnesses from intimidation and harm, although it does not publicize its successes for security reasons.

Governance experts have long argued that for IPOA to be effective, it must enjoy both financial and operational independence from the Ministry of Interior, while being adequately staffed and resourced to match the scale of the police service it oversees. Hassan reiterated that without meaningful reforms, the authority’s ability to hold rogue officers accountable and restore public confidence in policing will remain limited.