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{
"id": 29065,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/29065/?format=api",
"text_counter": 779,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Cheptumo",
"speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Justice, National Cohesion and Constitutional Affairs",
"speaker": {
"id": 50,
"legal_name": "William Cheptumo Kipkiror",
"slug": "william-kipkiror"
},
"content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I stand to support the Bill. Kenyans have for a very long time lost faith and confidence in our institutions of governance, namely, the Judiciary, the Police Force and the Civil Service. When we passed the new Constitution, we wanted to renew our confidence and faith in our institutions. The Bill before this House is intended to produce the necessary reforms in the Police Force. I would like to salute the Minister for coming up with a very comprehensive law that I believe will go a very long way in reforming this very important institution of the police. I would like to refer to Clause 24, which talks about the functions of the Police Force. Clause 27 talks about the functions of the Administration Police. It would appear to me that the functions of the Administration Police are more elaborate and exhaustive. If you look at the Clause 27(b), it provides for border patrol and security, which is not given to the Kenya Police Service. It would appear to me that, that is limiting in the sense that it will reach a time when we might need the police also to play the role of border patrol and security. I would like to request the Minister, perhaps, to consider expanding the functions of the Police Service with a view to including that provision. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad that under Clause 110, we have the National Police Reserve. Our police officers in the rural areas have not been able to provide adequate security to our people, especially in regions where cattle rustling is rife. The community policing policy has not been very successful. I would like to commend the Minister for clearly providing for the first time that the Government should be able to provide police reservists, popularly known as “KPRs”. Unfortunately, this Clause does not clearly spell out who will determine the appointment of police reservists in the rural areas. In areas where we have insecurity, like in the pastoral areas, where we have the police not being able to provide our people with adequate security, we will have people in those areas empowered under this Clause, so that they will provide security for themselves and their property. Clause 110(3) provides that the reservists may be deployed in Kenya to assist the Kenya Police Service or the Administration Police Service in their respective mandates, including maintenance of law and order, preservation of peace, protection of lives and property. This is really critical; in my own constituency, for instance, it is my people themselves, when sometimes the police officers are far, who participate in protecting their lives and their livestock, especially in times when they are raided by aggressive communities, whom we, perhaps, live with. It is, therefore, very important that we make this mandatory; The Government should ensure that community policing is clearly provided for under Clause 110 of this Bill. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, provision of security for the Kenyan people is very important. Under the Constitution, it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure---"
}