Police brutality reported during and after Kenya’s two last polls; August 8 and October 26 repeat presidential elections have cost the service donor funding by a United Nations Agency.
The National Police Service will no longer receive Sh800 million which boosts it effort towards operations, equipment and modern skills training.
The decision was communicated to top heads in the service last week on Wednesday during a retreat in Naivasha.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) channels the funds to the service from donor aides who include the UK, US, Germany, Norway and Netherlands among others.
The retreat according to the Star had been attended by top officials within the National Police Service and development partners who include Swedish officials.
The Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinett and the reform and internal affairs directorates were not at the meeting but they were well represented.
Boinett when contacted by the Star to comment on the matter denied knowledge of the withdrawn funding.
“I am not aware of it and I can’t comment on something I am not aware of. Find out from those that are doing it,” he said.
Police have come under sharp criticism over inordinate killing of people in the city and in Nyanza after the polls.
The development partners have put Boinett under intense pressure following the killings of more than 20 people.
Boinett on December 11 wrote to the Director of Internal Affairs and Directorate of Criminal Investigations on to carry out investigations, including into the death of seven-year-old Geoffrey Mutinda, killed by a stray bullet in Jacaranda, Nairobi, on October 28.
Civil society, police and the donors are set to meet today to take an in-depth audit of the reforms within the police sector.
The development partners have conducted parallel investigations into the killings of scores and the maiming of innocent Kenyans.
This is against the release of a new report indicating women in the slums were tortured and raped. The same happened to men who were sodomized at the height of post-poll chaos in selected areas in Nairobi.
“There has been general fatigue towards supporting police reforms because, in the area of knowledge, attitude and practice, that is not evident in the way the police are behaving. We haven’t seen a turnaround in the attitudes, behaviour and practice,” noted IMLU executive director Peter Kiama.
US Embassy spokesperson Fiona Evans said: “We’ve repeatedly and publicly called on security agencies to exercise maximum restraint. We have also demanded the allegations of excessive force be investigated and perpetrators of violence brought to book.”
Donors feel police reforms which were instituted after deadly 2007-2008 post election clashes now lack political will.
National Police Service Chairman Johnstone Kavuludi declined to comment on the matter citing the issue at hand is not within his jurisdiction.
“You should check with the IG or ministry of Interior because they are in charge of matters of police operations. I know what [US government] is doing but that is not my area and I don’t want to wade into the wrong area. I’m fully aware of all the details but you need to check with the IG,” he said.