How to End Rivalry Between Kenya Police and Administration Police Officers

A government taskforce has proposed sweeping changes to the command and staffing structure of the National Police Service (NPS) to address rivalry between the Kenya Police Service (KPS) and the Administration Police Service (APS).

The National Taskforce on Improvement of the Terms and Conditions of Service and Other Reforms for Members of the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service said unclear roles and an improperly executed reorganisation had contributed to tensions between the two services.

The chair and former Chief Justice David Maraga released its report to the public on Monday.

According to the report, the organisation of the constituent services of the NPS before 2018 created significant overlaps and duplication of functions.

There were parallel Kenya Police Service, Administration Police Service and Directorate of Criminal Investigations commanders at regional, county, sub-county, ward and locational levels.

The taskforce said it was often unclear who was in charge at different levels because several commanders held similar ranks.

This, it said, resulted in poor allocation of resources and disjointed operations.

The taskforce said a 2018 reorganisation, which was loosely referred to as the “merger” of the Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service, was intended to eliminate the duplication of roles.

However, the report found that the changes were not properly implemented and caused frustration among members of the Administration Police Service.

APS officers told the taskforce that they felt they were being treated as juniors by their Kenya Police Service counterparts.

They also complained that their concerns were not receiving adequate attention from the NPS leadership.

The continued exclusive protection of institutions considered “lucrative”, including the Central Bank of Kenya and airports, was cited as one of the issues causing resentment.

According to the report, APS officers viewed the continued allocation of such assignments to the Kenya Police Service as evidence that they had been disadvantaged by the reorganisation.

The taskforce said the 2018 reorganisation had also affected policing and national security.

It noted that a significant number of APS officers were absorbed into the Kenya Police Service, while the APS mandate at county level was reduced largely to the protection of critical infrastructure.

According to the report, this went against the provisions of the National Police Service Act and weakened preventive and community-based policing, an area where the Administration Police Service had historically played a significant role.

The taskforce said the changes had contributed to challenges in crime prevention and security management.

The report also raised concerns over the legal basis of the 2018 restructuring.

The Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service are established under Article 243 of the Constitution as constituent services of the National Police Service.

The National Police Service Act sets out the functions and responsibilities of the two services under Sections 24 and 27.

The taskforce said any restructuring of the two services should therefore be guided by the constitutional and legal framework governing their establishment and operations.

It concluded that this was not adequately done during the 2018 reorganisation.

To address the rivalry and clarify responsibilities, the taskforce recommended changes to the command and staffing structure of the NPS.

It proposed maintaining the distinction between the three services only up to the NPS inspectorate level.

The three services are the Kenya Police Service, Administration Police Service and Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

Beyond the inspectorate level, the taskforce wants gazetted officers to be designated simply as NPS officers without affiliation to a particular service.

It also recommended that all gazetted officers undergo the same training and promotion standards.

After training, the officers would then be deployed to any of the three services depending on operational needs.

“To remedy this situation and stem the sibling rivalry between the Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service officers, the Taskforce has recommended the restructuring of the command and staffing in the NPS,” the report states.

The taskforce said the proposed system would help create a more unified National Police Service while reducing competition and divisions between its constituent services.

The taskforce also recommended increasing the number of officers in the Administration Police Service.

It wants the Inspector-General, in consultation with the Joint Service Board, to establish additional formations within the APS.

The new formations would enable the service to effectively perform the functions assigned to it under Sections 10 and 27 of the National Police Service Act.

The recommendations are part of wider reforms proposed by the Maraga-led taskforce to improve the effectiveness, professionalism and accountability of Kenya’s security services.