Impact of Higher Education on Kenya Police Officer Performance: a Case Study of Nairobi City County. (2010-2015)

Abstract

Higher education in the police force is significant in inculcating capabilities which provide a platform within which insight can be developed to efficiently and effectively perform complex roles and view ideas from a wider perspective. Various reforms initiated by the Kenyan government that includes GJLOS and Philip Ransley National Task force recommend the incorporation of higher education as a mechanism for restructuring the police service. However, despite this initiative the law enforcement sector is still recording poor performance as documented by CAJ. The poor service delivery by the police has caused the citizens to lose confidence in the law enforcement system. The police is perceived as an institution that represents the presence of the government on the ground owing to their frequent interaction with the public; almost on a daily basis. Consequently, poor police service delivery reflects the incumbent government as inefficient while prompt service delivery reflects it as effective and efficient; a determinant of its tenure. The main objective of the study was to determine the impact of higher education on the overall performance of the Kenya Police officers. The study adopted a cross-sectional design to enable concurrent study of the variables. The sample size was determined by the use of purposive sampling technique. The sample size included non-police institutions whose input validated data obtained from the police officers themselves. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the data obtained. Based on the findings, higher education is desirable but it does not entirely contribute to the overall performance of the police. The study recommended that other underlying factors that significantly improve police performance should be investigated in depth. It also recommended that more emphasis should be put on diverse institutional restructuring and not center exclusively on higher education