Former Chief Justice David Maraga has raised concerns over deaths attributed to police brutality, saying 3,958 Kenyans have died in police hands since President William Ruto took office in 2022. Maraga made the claim on Monday, August 31, while releasing the Taskforce on Police Reforms report, where he called for structural changes to the National Police Service and warned against political interference in policing. According to Maraga, the figure translates to an average of about 990 deaths per year during the period he cited. He contrasted the figure with statistics he attributed to previous administrations, saying 4,035 deaths were recorded over 10 years under former President Mwai Kibaki, an average of about 404 annually, while he cited 4,150 deaths during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s 10-year tenure, averaging approximately 415 per year.
Maraga said the comparison demonstrated the scale of the problem and argued that police accountability needed to be strengthened.
“A partisan police force was a root cause of the slaughter of 2007/2008,” Maraga said, before citing the figures he attributed to the Ruto, Kibaki and Uhuru administrations.
The former Chief Justice’s figures formed part of his broader argument that Kenya needs significant reforms in the way the National Police Service is recruited, led and held accountable. Among the recommendations highlighted by Maraga was the restoration of competitive recruitment for senior police positions, including the offices of the Inspector-General of Police, Deputy Inspectors-General and Director of Criminal Investigations. He said the existing system needed to be reviewed to strengthen independence and professionalism within the police service. Maraga also questioned the circumstances surrounding the appointment and continued tenure of current Inspector-General Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin. He argued that both officials had exceeded the normal public-service retirement age and questioned the legal basis for extending their service.
According to Maraga, Section 80(2) of the Public Service Commission Act allows contracts beyond the retirement age only where an officer possesses rare skills that cannot otherwise be found within the service. He questioned whether that provision had been properly applied in the cases of Kanja and Amin.
The taskforce also proposed changes to the legal framework governing the National Police Service. Maraga said the report recommends addressing what it describes as problematic amendments affecting Sections 12, 13 and 30 of the National Police Service Act. The recommendations are aimed at strengthening the institutional independence of the police service and ensuring that senior appointments comply with the constitutional principles governing policing. The taskforce’s concerns come against the backdrop of long-running public debate over police accountability, allegations of excessive use of force and deaths linked to security operations.
Kenya’s Constitution requires the National Police Service to operate independently and observe principles including professionalism, discipline, respect for human rights and accountability.
The 3,958 figure should be attributed to Maraga and the taskforce’s cited data, rather than presented as an independently verified nationwide death toll. The media reports available on Monday quote Maraga making the claim, but they do not independently establish the methodology used to arrive at the figure or provide a detailed breakdown of the deaths by year, cause or institution. Nevertheless, Maraga’s presentation of the figures places police accountability at the centre of the reform debate. The former Chief Justice argued that Kenya cannot address the legacy of politically influenced policing without strengthening the independence and professionalism of the National Police Service.
The taskforce’s recommendations now provide a basis for further discussions on changes to police recruitment, leadership, legal safeguards and accountability mechanisms. The government will ultimately determine which recommendations are adopted and whether legislative or administrative changes are required to implement them.