KENYA Country Profile

Police

Individual Corruption

According to the US Department of State 2008, the public perceives the police to be complicit in criminal activity. Transparency International Kenya's East African Bribery Index 2009 reports that the number of bribes paid to the police has declined in recent years, but the amount paid per bribe has increased.

Solicitation of bribes by traffic police is reportedly common. Police officers frequently stop motorists for minor offences and then, rather than issuing a ticket, offer the person to forget the matter in exchange for a bribe. Most often the bribes are fairly small, but demands of USD 50 or more are not uncommon.

Freedom House 2009 reports that the police use force to extract information from suspects and deny them legal representation.

Business Corruption

Foreign investors should be aware that transportation costs may rise as a consequence of arbitrary demands for bribes at road blocks and other transit checkpoints.

Political Corruption

Police officers are amongst the lowest paid public servants, and although some efforts have been made to improve the living conditions of junior officers, the efforts have not been widespread.

The US Department of State 2008 reports that the police often employ unqualified candidates with political connections or who have paid bribes to win the position. In December 2005, a police recruitment process was halted after the Anti-Corruption Commission reported that nearly eight out of every ten candidates had either paid bribes or used their connections to obtain jobs. The police commissioner also suspended about 60 senior police officers involved in the scandal.

Numerous cases of violent clashes between the Mungiki - violent gangs disrupting transport, controlling public utility services, and extorting and killing civilians - and police have been reported; however, corrupt circles within the police force have reportedly also allowed the Mungiki to thrive and form part of police and political patronage systems.

Frequency

World Economic Forum: The Global Competitiveness Report 2009-2010:
- Business executives give the reliability of Kenyan police services to enforce law and order a score of 3.5 on a 7-point scale (1 being 'cannot be relied upon at all' and 7 being 'can always be relied upon').

Transparency International Kenya: The East Africa Bribery Index 2009:
- With a score of 66.5%, the police are ranked as the most corrupt institution by citizens. The police have been perceived to be the most bribery-prone institution in the country for seven years in a row.

- The likelihood of encountering bribery in interactions with the police is reported to be 85.5%.

- 63.4% of the respondents report to have paid a bribe in their interaction with the police.

- 10.4% of the respondents who refused to pay bribes to the police, were denied service.

- The respondents pay 3.1 bribes per year on average to the police, the average size of which is KES 3,180.

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2009:
- 55% of households who had contact with the police in 2008 report to have paid a bribe.

.Afrobarometer: Summary of Results Kenya 2008:
- 44% of household respondents report to not trust the police.

- 77% of household respondents believe that most or all police officers are involved in corruption.