Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) Chair Issack Hassan has said it is time Kenya had an honest, nationwide conversation about policing.

Hassan said that while security remains the cornerstone of national stability, the relationship between the police and the public has grown increasingly strained.

He said IPOA believes that rebuilding this relationship requires not only reforms but now demands a genuine dialogue between the stakeholders to address extrajudicial killings.

Speaking in Eldoret during the Second Annual Regulatory Authorities and Agencies Conference, the IPOA chairperson reiterated that there is an urgent need to bring all stakeholders including citizens, police officers, civil society and policymakers to the table.

In reference to this Monday’s clashes over land in Angata Barrikoi, Narok, where at least five people were killed and several others injured during a confrontation with government officials conducting demarcations, Hassan said the authority’s goal is not to attack the police, but to strengthen policing through accountability, transparency and mutual understanding.

“Public confidence in law enforcement can’t be restored by command alone but must be earned through openness and respect for rights,” Hassan explained.

The chair said his office is willing to work closely with the Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to ensure such incidents do not occur again in the future.

“We will be having a special board meeting on Friday to address these current concerns and others that have been raised by the public,” noted Hassan.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Martin Kiplimo