The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) have announced a new partnership aimed at ensuring integrity in the upcoming police recruitment and addressing long-standing corruption concerns within the Kenya Police Service.

Speaking after a joint meeting in Nairobi’s EACC headquarters, the Commissions’s Chairman David Oginde said the collaboration comes at a crucial time as the National Police Service prepares to recruit 10,000 new officers.

“That has been of great public concern.

“We have deliberated on some of the challenges and we have agreed that we’ll work together to see how we can monitor whatever is happening within the recruitment  that is upcoming, and even future ones,” he said

He says this will ensure that the members of the public can participate in a free, fair and transparent recruitment of young people who want to join the police service.

“This is a matter that we are going to look at together”, he said.

The EACC boss also highlighted that they have considered studying trends of corruption within the police service, noting that the force has consistently ranked among the most corrupt institutions in both local and international surveys.

“Every year when surveys are conducted, both locally and internationally, the police service seems to come up at the top of that survey list as list of the most corrupt institutions,” he said. “This is something we do not celebrate, and we would want to see what we can do to ensure it does not continue.”

He added: “We are going to work together to see what are some of the trends, some of the causes and sources of this trend that seems to enhance corruption within the police sector”.

The agencies also agreed to cooperate on capacity building through training at the National Integrity Academy, which EACC runs to promote ethics and integrity across public and private institutions.

“As you may be aware, we have a National Integrity Academy where we train various individuals, both from public and private sector, that are interested in matters combating corruption and enhancing integrity and ethics,” Oginde said

“Beyond formal training, we are also looking at how we can work together towards educating and creating public awareness on matters of integrity and corruption, especially when it comes to the police service,” the EACC chair added.

On his part, IPOA Chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan welcomed the collaboration, describing it as timely given the planned recruitment of new officers in the financial year 2025/2026.

“If we are to seriously consider how to reduce corruption in the service, then the recruitment gives an opportunity to the leadership of the police and to the governance institutions to ensure the intake is done in a more transparent and efficient manner to ensure public confidence in the exercise,” he said.

The agencies said they will continue working closely to study corruption trends and provide joint oversight, with the aim of restoring trust in the police service.