Public Eye

East African police charged with failing to reform

Over two days in early June, high level police, civil society and government delegates met in Arusha, Tanzania, to look at the state of policing in East Africa, and map out a plan for reform in the region. The roundtable also coincided with the launch of five reports into policing in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, by Peter Kiguta, the Director General of the East African Community Customs Union. The launch of the reports and the roundtable conference, which was co-hosted with the East Africa Law Society, signal the completion of the first stage of CHRI's East Africa Project.

Ms Maja Daruwala, Director of CHRI, was in Arusha for the roundtable and launch. She said, "The people of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania are suffering under police forces that too often are corrupt, violent and brutal tools of government. This type of policing is at direct odds with the claims of democracy made by the governments of East Africa. It is time for each country to take a long, hard look at its police and aim towards reform; the roundtable has shown the huge amount of interest that the question of police reform in East Africa generates, while the launch of the reports points governments, communities and police in the right reform direction."

The first three reports launched by the Director General look at police accountability in the three East African countries. Each of the reports - The police, the people, the politics: Police accountability in Kenya, The police, the people, the politics: Police accountability in Uganda and The police, the people, the politics: Police accountability in Tanzania - look at the development of the police force in each country, examine the issues facing the police and consider the legislative and political frameworks that the police operate within. Each report also looks at the reforms that need to take place and sets out a roadmap for reform in each country. The Kenya report was published with the Kenya Human Rights Commission.

The Director General also released a report on the impact of government budgets on policing in Kenya, and another report on the impact of government budgets on policing in Uganda.

The roundtable brought together delegates from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, as well as experts from Ghana, Australia and India to look at policing trends and challenges across the East African region, and within the national borders of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The delegates found that "reform of the police is required to provide a police service that fulfils its mandate of protecting the safety and security of all. The state has a responsibility to provide an efficient, accountable and democratic system of policing which enhances the enjoyment of rights and development."

The delegates also explored the challenges to good policing in East Africa. These challenges include police brutality and excessive use of force, outdated legal regimes, corruption, illegitimate political interference, militarization of civilian policing bodies, partiality, impunity, internal police culture and hierarchies, lack of transparency, lack of adequate training and resources, police recruitment processes, poor service and working conditions, lack of adherence to the rule of law and lack of reform in the broader criminal justice sector.

The delegates proposed a number of points of action. They called on police, civil society and national human rights institutions to create networks and to make use of advocacy opportunities such as the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, due to take place in Kampala, Uganda, next year. The delegates also called on governments, civil society and national human rights institutions to work towards the demilitarisation of police in East Africa, the amendment of police laws to reflect democratic principles of policing and the strengthening of police accountability mechanisms such as civilian oversight bodies.

The final statement from the conference is available here, while further information regarding CHRI's East Africa work is available here. Electronic copies of the report are available as a download from here, or hardcopies are available by email request to Daniel Woods at CHRI (daniel@humanrightsinitiative.org).