Kenya Police 101

The primary purpose of 101 Things You Wanted to Know About the Police But Were Too Afraid
to Ask (101 Things) is to improve relations between the police and the public. The police are
regarded by the public as suppressing them in order to promote the interests of the rich and the
powerful. The police are regarded as being extremely corrupt, especially in extracting money
from the less well off. Public opinion polls for several years put them at the top of the list of the
most corrupt state institutions. We consider that better understanding between the police and
the public would come about if both of them have a better understanding of the obligations of
the police and the rights of the people. 101 Things focuses largely on the authority of the police
and the rights of the people that they must respect. We believe that the full benefits of the
pocket book will be achieved if both the public and the police carefully study and follow it.

The relationship between the police and the public goes back to the time of the colonisation of
Kenya, when the primary purpose of the police was to suppress Africans in the interests of the
colonial power and European settlers. To a considerable extent this continued after
independence—and with this the uneasy and often tense relationship between the people and
the police. Both those in authority and the police considered that the main role of the police was
to protect the interests of those who controlled the state. There was little accountability of the
police for their conduct.

A fundamental change in the structure and functions of the police was set out in the 2010
Constitution in accordance with its principles and values of protecting the rights and security of
the people and the accountability of state institutions. The police will no longer be under the
absolute authority of the government, their independence being a fundamental constitutional
principle.

The Kenya Police 101 app has the following features:
- All the 101 questions have been divided into 8 different categories as shown in the navigation drawer
- Inclusion of images in the content of the answers for easier illustration
- Search functionality to easily look up a question of interest
- Favorite functionality to enable users bookmark their favorite questions
- Quick links for frequently asked questions
- About page with description of the various sponsors and contact and social media links for Katiba Institute

Copyright Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Katiba Institute (2016).