Douglas Lucas Kivoi

Police officers from Kenya’s General Service Unit get ready to disperse demonstrators protesting against police brutality in Nairobi in July 2020. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images)

Kenya has tried to reform its police force, but it’s left gaps for abuse

Police reforms have long been on the agenda of Kenya’s independence regimes, but progress remains painfully slow.
A group of men protest while pulling a cart carrying the body of Vitallis Ochilo Owino in the Mathare slums of Nairobi, Kenya, on May 4, 2020. Vitallis Ochilo Owino was allegedly beaten to death by police officers while walking in the streets after curfew hours. LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images

Why violence is a hallmark of Kenyan policing. And what needs to change

The level of accountability within police agencies in Kenya is very low. They operate with impunity, because they know they will get away with it.

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