Human rights lobby Haki Africa has reiterated that changing police uniforms will not change police attitude but training on human rights will do.
Haki Africa Executive director Hussein Khalid said that police have become inhuman despite efforts by the government to revamp the police force.
He said that changing police uniforms would not bring the change Kenyans have been yearning for, to see a better police service unit.
He said that new Persian-blue General Duty Police Officer uniforms will not change the situation but police must undergo intensive training on ethics and human rights issues.
“Police welfare should be the priority and human rights and the constitution well articulated to the security agents during their training, these new uniforms will not change anything,” he said.
Khalid said that police officers have been condemned for violating human rights while on duty but the government has been always at their defense.
[Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet. Photo/Courtesy]
“The recent killing of 5 people at Kolongolo village in Kwanza, Trans Nzoia County is an open example of how police officers are far away from respecting and implementing the constitution,” he noted.
The human rights defender appealed to the government to prioritize police welfare matters before zeroin to changing police image.
He said Kenyans lost trust with the security agents and the trust can only be restored when the officers stop their oppressive deeds.
Meanwhile Khalid has said that Kenyans and the police officers are yet to be prepared psychologically to live together.
He said that the changes should be done gradually by involving various stake holders and it should not be an abrupt exercise.
He said the gap between police officers and Coastal people cannot be immediately filled but through dialogue, awareness and humane actions from the police.
Recently there has been reports that the material for making the new police uniform could not be sourced locally, however, Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i says that the uniforms will be made locally from the National youths service.
