Changing police culture is more important than creating new police units

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Kenyan riot police beating an unresponsive fallen protester with wooden sticks until they break and repeatedly kick him several times.[File, Standard]

That plans by Nairobi County Government and the National Government to form a Nairobi Metropolitan Police Service (NMPS) have encountered bureaucratic bottlenecks is not surprising.

As a result, both governments have sent teams to New York, USA, to study metropolitan policing. This raises concerns: Is the proposal to set up a police service for Kenya’s capital turning out to be another bureaucratic gravy train funded by taxpayers?

Granted, Nairobi, a fast-growing capital, hosts multinational corporations, UN agencies, diplomatic missions, and financial institutions. These factors create unique security challenges that require a tailored response, such as that of a metropolitan police service.