Police stations collecting protection fees from premises, report says

There is a routine collection of protection fees by police from business operators, particularly bars, wine and spirits shops, and pool table establishments.

A report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission also found that there is a failure to record detained persons in the cell registers and occurrence books, creating opportunities for abuse of police powers and extortion; Inadequate provision for separate holding facilities for women and juveniles, leading to co-mingling and increased risk of abuse and exploitation.

Further, there is poor sanitation in lock-up facilities, including a lack of proper toilets, limited clean water, and overcrowding, posing health risks and violating basic hygiene standards, and indeterminate criteria for setting bail amounts, with no requirement for cash bail justification by the Officers Commanding Station (OCSs)

The report added there is maintenance of multiple cash bail receipt books within the same station by OCSs and Traffic Base Commanders.

It recommends conducting of frequent and impromptu sting operations in collaboration with business operators to identify and apprehend offenders, enforcing established protocols in managing lock-up facilities through periodic audits and exploring the adoption of digital systems for real-time entry into the cell registers and occurrence books and establishment of separate and appropriate holding facilities for adult males, adult females, and juveniles in line with international standards.

It further recommends provision of adequate sanitation, access to clean water, and basic hygiene supplies in all lock-up facilities, adoption of digital systems to manage cash bail to enable real-time tracking, and establish audit trails and developing and implementing clear guidelines on cash bail categories, including written justification for bail amounts.

The report wants enforcement of use of a single cash bail receipt book per station, as required by the Service Standing Orders.

EACC presented the Report of the Examination into the Systems, Policies, Procedures and Practices of Work of the National Police Service (NPS) Thursday, November 13, 2025 at the National Police Leadership Academy.

The report presented by EACC CEO Abdi Mohamud followed an examination conducted by the Commission between February 10, 2025 and June 13, 2025 supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC) under the programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery in Kenya, Phase II (PLEAD II), funded by the European Union (EU).

The specific objectives of the Systems Examination were to examine, identify and profile areas in the systems, policies, procedures, and practices of the National Police Service that may be susceptible to corruption, to assess compliance with policies, laws and regulations and industry standards and to provide appropriate advice on how to address the identified weaknesses to eradicate corruption and enhance service delivery in NPS.

The team studied the existing policies, guidelines, procedures and practices applied in the management and operations of the National Police Service, analyzed the adherence to policies, guidelines and procedures, ascertained the effectiveness of implemented systems in enhancing integrity in operations in the National Police Service and identified and profiled areas of weakness, loopholes and avenues for corruption.

On investigations, the report said there is inadequate decentralization of crime scene offices, forcing untrained officers to undertake forensic tasks and rely on distant processing centres and inadequate facilitation of crime scene officers with requisite working tools, equipment and transport.

There is insufficient number of trained crime scene officers; Interference, delays, or manipulation of crime scenes by officers, due to bribery and collusion and absence of a service charter for the Forensic Laboratory outlining timelines for service delivery.

There is also delay in operationalization of some functions of forensic laboratory, such as biology and chemistry, lack of a standardized criteria for prioritizing urgent police clearance certificates and inadequate storage space for exhibits in some police stations.

There is use of dilapidated or unfit structures for storing exhibit and storage of hazardous materials and bulky items in inappropriate locations, including OCSs offices, which the report says leads to inconsistent, incomplete, or biased investigations; undermine the integrity of the investigative process and compromising the delivery of justice.

The report wants decentralization of crime scene offices to all sub-counties and ensuring adequate staffing with trained officers and quipping the units with necessary forensic tools, protective gear, and transport to safeguard evidence and support timely investigations.

It also wants development and operationalizing a service charter for the Forensic Laboratory, operationalizing all sections of the Forensic Laboratory, developing and implementing criteria for prioritizing urgently needed police clearance certificate and ensuring that all Police Stations and Posts are equipped with adequate, secure, and properly shelved exhibit storage facilities, in line with Chapter 33 of the Standing Orders.