255: Systemic Accountability: Evaluating the Criminal Justice Response to Police Misconduct in Kenya

In Kenya, Police Abuse of Power (PAP) remains pervasive, with law enforcement frequently misusing legitimate state authority. In 2024, International Justice Mission conducted an evaluation to assess four domains of protection: prevalence, reliance, confidence, and performance of the criminal justice system (CJS).

Findings revealed that 42.9% of respondents had personally experienced police misconduct, while 69% reported witnessing such misconduct. Despite this, only 63.7% of citizens indicated willingness to report cases to relevant agencies. The crime reporting gap remains wide, with 62.6% of cases going unreported. Confidence in the CJS was alarmingly low, with just 14.7% of stakeholders expressing trust in its effectiveness to address police misconduct.

The evaluation underscores a troubling reality: high prevalence of abuse, coupled with citizens’ reluctance to report cases, reflects deep-seated distrust of the system. Perceptions of corruption, inefficiency, and unfairness continue to erode public confidence, limiting the ability of the CJS to respond effectively.

Recommendations from the evaluation call for strengthening accountability mechanisms, enhancing safe and accessible reporting channels, building public trust through transparency, addressing corruption and inefficiency, and institutionalizing routine monitoring of police misconduct. Multi-stakeholder collaboration is also critical to sustain reforms and ensure justice and protection against abuse of power.