File image of Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has directed the installation of CCTV surveillance systems in all police stations across the country.
Adressing the media on Monday, June 16 at Harambee House, Murkomen said all 1,209 police stations will be required to operate fully functional CCTV systems within the next two years.
“It shall be mandatory to equip police stations with CCTV surveillance to enhance transparency and accountability. All the police stations, currently standing at 1,209, shall have CCTV surveillance within the next two years,” he announced.
CS Murkomen noted that the footage from the surveillance systems will be managed by the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) and backed up externally to safeguard evidence and prevent interference.
The Interior CS directed that all faulty equipment must be reported within one hour through the chain of command.
“We shall be making proposals to Parliament to enact laws that criminalize tampering with CCTV cameras. The surveillance system shall be in the custody of the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), and the said officer shall be required to ensure that the system is always functioning, and in instances of fault, it shall be reported within one hour through the established chain of command. The CCTV shall have an external back-up system,” Murkomen stated.
Murkomen also clarified that existing CCTV installations in some stations were informal initiatives not fully sanctioned by the National Police Service.
“It’s important for Kenyans to know that the current stations that have CCTVs are not CCTVs that are sanctioned fully by the National Police Service. It was the initiative of the individual police stations. Now, this shall be mandatory for the entire 1,209 police stations and other police stations that shall be constructed,” he said.
Further, he announced that the occurrence books (OBs) will be digitized within a year, in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“This is a reform that had been initiated, and we are now committed to the digitization of occurrence books to ensure all reported incidents can be tracked and be tamper-proof,” Murkomen added.
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