INFLUENCE OF CITIZEN PARTICIPATION ON THE QUALITY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN KENYA

Abstract

The central problem of this study was that despite the many government initiatives towards improving security in the country, actual law enforcement had been declining in the country. Influenced to this low quality of law enforcement in the country had not been investigated nor understood by the concerned, thus hindering democratic policing and lack of accountability to civilians in the exercise of police power by the law enforcement agency, the Kenya Police Service, who are mandated with law enforcement in the country. The consideration of the relationship between citizen participation as the independent variable in this study and the quality of law enforcement as the dependent variable was sought. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of citizen participation on the quality of law enforcement in Kenya. The unit of analysis was the Kenya Police Service. The study used a descriptive survey design that was cross-sectional with the list of the Administrative officers of the Kenya Police Service as the sampling frame. The questionnaire and an interview guide were used to gather relevant information from the respondents. Data collected was analysed using both the descriptive and inferential statistics. The study established that citizen participation have a positive significant influence on the quality of law enforcement in Kenya. The study recommended that the Kenya police agency must adopt the principle of acting for and with the local citizen and actually take the initial step towards the achievement. The Kenyan citizens should also play a fundamental role in the designing, implementing and monitoring of policies that are implemented to provide a suitable and safe environment for living. Key words:  Quality Law Enforcement, Citizen Participation, Police Service, Influence CITATION: Kamau, C. N., Odhiambo, R., Wario, G., & Moronge, M. (2020). Influence of citizen participation on the quality of law enforcement in Kenya.  The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management , 7(2), 121 – 133.