IPOA battles to deliver justice in face of funding constraints and limited staff
By Gerald Mukembu
The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has convicted 34 rogue police officers and is currently prosecuting 230 cases, despite facing significant challenges in terms of funding and staffing.
This is according to IPOA Chairman Isaac Hassan and CEO Halake who recently met with staff and stakeholders in Meru to discuss the agency’s operations and gather feedback.
The meeting highlighted the difficulties IPOA faces in providing effective oversight of the police force, which has a workforce of over 120,000 officers.
According to Hassan, IPOA has been working to provide civilian oversight against the police and ensure that officers work professionally and uphold the rule of law.
However, the agency is severely understaffed, with a shortage of over 500 investigators and other support staff to carry out its mandates effectively.
“We have a deficiency of more than 500 investigating officers alone, and several other support staff,” Hassan said, adding that the agency currently has 77 investigators, but needs 600 to effectively conduct investigations across the country.
Hassan noted that IPOA’s work is further complicated by the “blue code of silence,” where police officers often fail to cooperate with investigations, citing fear of damaging their colleagues’ reputations.
He expressed hope that ongoing discussions with the Inspector General of Police will lead to positive changes in this regard.
IPOA has also been facing challenges in investigating cases of police misconduct, particularly those involving abductions and forced disappearances.
Hassan stated that the agency is working to follow up on leads and gather evidence, but admitted that it can be difficult to track down suspects who use fake number plates and masks.
To address these challenges, IPOA plans to seek intervention from Parliament to secure additional funding and resources.
The agency will meet with the Committee on Administration of Justice and National Security to demand more funding to enable effective service delivery.
“IPOA wants investigating staff of 600 to carry our mandates effectively,” Hassan said. “We have a scope of work that is enormous and it’s hard to carry out investigations across the country with the current staff we have.”
CEO Helema Halake echoed Hassan’s sentiments, stating that the agency has received over 1,000 complaints of police misconduct, including 1000 in the Meru region alone.
Halake emphasized the importance of holding police to account and ensuring that they work professionally and fairly.
“We want to ensure that there are no extra judicial killings and unfair arrests. Our offices are accessible to the public, and we are committed to delivering justice in the face of these significant challenges,” Halake said.
