US Amb Meg Whitman when she visited the IPOA offices

US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman has pledged to support the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) in its quest to promote human rights through police accountability.

Amb Whitman said during a visit to the Authority’s headquarters in Nairobi, that she was impressed with the progress the Authority has made so far, since its inception.

The envoy and her delegation met the IPOA board and management who took her through the history, milestones and challenges the civilian oversight body was going through.

IPOA chairperson, Mrs Anne Makori who led the board, appreciated the US for the support tremendous support it had offered the authority, saying the donation had made it easier for them to receive complaints, gather and preserve evidence during investigations and conduct monitoring and inspections.

The US has over the years accorded support to the Authority’s ICT infrastructure and the call centre. It has also donated vehicles to support mobility, forensic equipment to help process and store evidence. The embassy has also offered training and technical supports to IPOA officers.

From Left: IPOA Commissioners; Dr Praxedes Tororey, Doreen Muthaura and Fatuma Mohammed during the visit by the US Ambassador.

Mrs Makori however said that the Authority was still experiencing challenges that were still impeding its work, among them; non-cooperation by the police and other agencies, funding and limited access to other counties.

She asked the Ambassador to consider supporting the revival of the Outstanding Police Service Awards (OPSA) a platform that sought to compliment police officers who upheld human rights while discharging their duties.

“The awards were modelled for culture change among police officers, motivate them and generally promote police reforms. But they were halted due to lack of funding” Mrs Makori said.

IPOA Chairperson, Mrs. Anne Makori hands a gift hamper to US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman.

She also indicated that the Authority needed support to conduct public inquests, more dialogue and outreach activities in the counties to sensitize the public of their policing rights.

IPOA Commissioners requested the US representative to also consider equipping the police with modern technology including body cameras, data equipment among others.