The Independent Policing Oversight Authority has called for a shift from reactive to preventive policing as Kenya prepares for the 2027 General Elections, with stronger intelligence gathering, community policing and early-warning mechanisms needed to counter political goonism before it escalates into more violence.
Speaking during the National Multi-Stakeholder Convening on Political Goonism and Hired Violence at Eka Hotel on Monday, IPOA Commissioner Dr. Annette Mbogoh said the Authority’s oversight role includes supporting the National Police Service (NPS) to strengthen policing while safeguarding the public’s interest.
Dr. Mbogoh said IPOA monitors policing operations and identifies areas where the police can strengthen preparedness to counter organized violence. She called for greater emphasis on intelligence-led policing and community policing to identify emerging threats and prevent violence before it occurs. “Addressing this challenge requires us to move from reactive policing to preventive policing,” Dr. Mbogoh said, emphasizing the need for early-warning systems and risk mapping of electoral hotspots.
She further noted that IPOA has established a platform with the NPS to track the implementation of recommendations arising from its monitoring and oversight work, strengthening accountability and ensuring that lessons from previous operations translate into improved policing. The Commissioner also stressed that efforts to counter political violence must extend beyond those who commit violence on the streets to the organizers, financiers and sponsors behind it.
The call for accountability was echoed by Demas Kiprono, Executive Director, International Commission of Jurists (Kenya Section), who said efforts to end political goonism must address the networks that recruit, finance and deploy violence. “Ending goonism must start with the networks that recruit, finance and deploy violence,” Kiprono said, calling for strong institutional coordination, accountability and a firm commitment to the rule of law ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Elections.
The convening, organized by ICJ Kenya in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights and Policy Studies (CHRIPS), brought together stakeholders to examine the drivers of political goonism and hired violence and identify practical measures for prevention, accountability and institutional coordination.
As the country moves closer to the 2027 General Elections, IPOA has reaffirmed that it will intensify its oversight and preventive efforts to promote professional, accountable policing.