NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 9 – The National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPOK) Monday proposed the creation of an independent Kenya Bureau of Investigation (KBI) detached from the National Police Service (NPS) to replace the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
NARPOK Chairperson Francis Sang told the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) steering committee the move to have an independent investigation body will ensure the agency is able to tap experience from various experts due to the changing trends in crime.
“An effective response to serious and organized crimes require comprehensive multi-disciplinary efforts have always been differentiated from general crime,” he said.
Sang noted that one of the major undoing within the DCI is lack of the capacity to retain personnel with specialized skills.
NARPOK noted DCI, under NPS, presents a structural absurdity since 82 percent of all cases are reported to the anti-crime agency.
Out of the total 88,268 cases reported to NPS, 67, 942 cases were reported to the DCI in 2018.
“There is nothing to suggest that the trend has changed. Retaining the DCI within the National Police Service is plainly ill-informed,” Sang said.
The association gave examples of various jurisdictions like the United Kingdom, where they have an independent bureau of investigations.
He noted that “the length and complexity of serious crimes, such as corporate fraud, is a matter that drawn the attention of policymakers in public safety and order, worldwide.”
If established, KBI shall be responsible for all the functions of prevention, detection, and investigation of serious and complex crimes.
Detectives will be required to cede the mandate of maintaining law and order.
“Through a robust crime and criminal intelligence analysis work, KBI should also be able to mainstream intelligence function to drive crime prevention efforts by providing analytical support to law enforcement strategic decision- making and operational activities,” NARPOK outlined.
KBI, they said, shall be under the supervision of the National Security Council, which shall, in turn, be answerable to Parliament.
This will require Article 239 to be amended by inserting a new article to provide for KBI as the fourth national security organ.
It will also require the introduction of some five new articles to outline their mandate, establish the office of the Director-General of the proposed KBI, among other proposals.
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