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Kenya ,November 06, 2026 - Kenya is trying a new way to fight corruption in the police service: it is training officers to watch for wrongdoing inside their own stations. The National Police Service and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission say the move could help restore public trust in policing.
The National Police Service (NPS) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) ended a five-day training in Kisumu on Thursday, 6 November 2026. The course prepared selected officers to serve as Integrity Assurance Officers, or IAOs, at their duty stations.
An IAO is an officer chosen to help prevent corruption and unethical behaviour in a public institution. The officers will look for weak systems that may allow bribery, favouritism or abuse of power to happen.
The training was supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime through the Programme for Legal Empowerment and Aid Delivery in Kenya, known as PLEAD II. It took place at the Kisumu Police Regional Training Centre.
Corruption in policing affects many Kenyans. A driver may be asked for a bribe at a roadblock. A person reporting a crime may fear that their case will be delayed. Others may feel that powerful people receive different treatment from ordinary citizens.
The police service handles arrests, investigations, road operations and complaints from the public. When people do not trust the police, they may avoid reporting crime. That can leave victims without help and allow offenders to go free.
During the course, officers learned about corruption in policing, the work of the EACC, ethical leadership and conflict of interest. A conflict of interest happens when someone’s personal interests could affect their official decisions.
The officers also learned how to assess corruption risks, create anti-corruption procedures and set up reporting systems. They studied the Anti-Bribery Act, 2016, which requires public and private bodies to have procedures to prevent bribery and corruption.
The EACC’s guidelines say institutions should create Corruption Prevention Committees and appoint Integrity Assurance Officers. The guidelines also say institutions should provide reporting channels, protect whistleblowers and refer serious cases to the EACC when needed.
This new approach focuses on stopping corruption before it happens. Instead of waiting for a scandal, officers will look for problems such as poor record-keeping, unclear rules or weak reporting systems.
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The NPS says the programme aims to build a culture of honesty, transparency and accountability. It also hopes the programme will improve public confidence in the police.
However, important questions remain. The announcement does not say how many officers were trained or how many police stations will have IAOs. It also does not say whether the programme will be expanded across the country. [clarify: missing detail]
It is also not clear whether IAOs will report to their local commanders or to an independent office. This matters because an officer may fear punishment if they report a senior colleague through the same chain of command.
The public does not yet know whether IAOs can receive secret complaints, investigate cases, recommend punishment or send matters to the EACC. The NPS has also not explained how officers who report corruption will be protected from retaliation.
The training is part of a wider effort to deal with corruption in policing. In February 2025, the EACC launched an examination of the NPS’s systems, policies, procedures and practices to find weaknesses that encourage corruption.
The EACC said the review would cover police reforms, finance, supply chains, human resources, legal services, police operations, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Internal Affairs Unit and training colleges.
The EACC said the NPS has often ranked among the most corrupt institutions in its surveys. It also said it has received and investigated many reports of bribery and other corruption in the Service.
For the new programme to work, IAOs will need more than training. They will need real authority, safe reporting channels and protection from punishment. Their findings must also lead to action.
The NPS has not yet announced a nationwide rollout, a timeline for deploying the officers or a public reporting system. The real test will be whether officers can report corruption safely and whether action follows.