Police Reforms: International
Police Reforms: Too Important to Neglect, Too Urgent to Delay

East Africa

CHRI has worked on policing issues in East Africa since 2001. Reform of East African police systems is critical and long overdue. In each of the countries of the region - Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda - policing is often characterised by brutality, torture, partiality, illegal arrest and detention, extra-judicial executions, corruption and abuse of due process. Illegitimate political interference into police operations also has a direct impact on the community's experience of the police. Meanwhile, police officers and organisations are unsupported, under-resourced and work in extremely challenging and complex circumstances.

CHRI's East Africa project works at both regional and national levels to support the development of police accountability in the region.

Aim

CHRI's work in East Africa aims to support civil society to advocate for police accountability, catalyse and inform police reform initiatives and build a network of informed, effective advocates for police accountability and reform across the Commonwealth.

Activities

CHRI has facilitated three roundtable conferences on policing and police reform in East Africa. A roundtable in Nairobi in 2003 focused on strategies to transform the East African police forces into police services (click here for information and material relating to the 2003 roundtable). A second roundtable in Arusha in 2006, facilitated in collaboration with the East Africa Law Society, discussed policing trends and challenges across the East African region, particularly within Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda (click here for more information and material relating to the 2006 roundtable). In June 2007, CHRI facilitated a conference on police accountability and effectiveness in Eastern Africa with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights and the African Police Civilian Oversight Forum (click here for more information and material relating to the 2007 conference). In August 2007, CHRI took part in a HURINET-Uganda police training workshop for civil society organisations in Uganda. Click here for more information. In November 2007, CHRI made a submission in response to a call for papers on the Africa-EU partnership on Democratic Governance and Human Rights in the EU-Africa strategy. Please click here for the submission that highlights the importance of support for democratic police reform in the joint strategy.

Publications

CHRI has published five reports on policing issues in the region. The first three reports look at police accountability issues generally. The publications look at the development of the police force in each country, examine the issues facing the police and consider the legislative and political frameworks that the police operate within. Each report also looks at the reforms that need to take place and sets out a roadmap for reform in each country. Electronic copies of the reports are available on the links below.

The police, the people, the politics: Police accountability in Kenya
The police, the people, the politics: Police accountability in Uganda
The police, the people, the politics: Police accountability in Tanzania

The second group of publications consider policing budgets in each country, looking at the impact that funding has on police performance, crime management and community safety.

A review of the Kenya Police Force budget and its effect on crime management
A review of the Uganda Police Force budget and its effect on crime management

Hardcopies of all reports are available by email request by clicking here.

Current events

In November 2007, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights released a preliminary report on police involvement in the disappearance and extra-judicial killing of close to 500 young men in Kenya between June and October 2007. Click here to access a copy of the preliminary report from the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights website.

CHRI has been invited by the Ugandan police force to participate in a stakeholder workshop on the police reform process in Uganda.

Media statements and Updates

Kenya Background Report - January 2008
Media freedom goes up in smoke in Kenya – 4 June 2006
Spotlight thrown on policing in East Africa – 12 June 2006
East African police charged with failing to reform – 13 June 2006

Laws and standards

Click here for a list of regional standards that apply in East Africa. National laws are available here.

At its 40th session, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights adopted a resolution on police reform accountability and civilian police oversight in Africa. The 40th session communiqué is available here. The resolution adopted is available here.

Contact

For more information on CHRI’s policing work in East Africa, contact Louise Edwards .