Githaiga, Cynthia Wahito2025-01-202025-01-202024Githaiga, C. W. (2024). The Influence of Domestic Politics on The National Police Service and Reforms: A Case Study of the 2013 and 2017 General Elections in Kenya. Daystar University, School of Arts and Social Scienceshttps://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/6025MASTER OF ARTS in Diplomacy, Development, and International SecurityThis research assumes that security is a right and freedom that governments are expected to ensure to people and that the police primarily work under the socialpolitical system of a country. It does this and finally assists the researcher in assessing the impact of the domestic political context on the National Police Service during the 2013 and 2017 General Elections, respectively. The 2010 Constitutions introduced strategies, practices, and structures designed to ensure as a policing organization professionalism and responsiveness. As a research issue, we ask ourselves: during elections, what part of domestic politics is influential, and how does this influence affect the accountability of the National Police Service in the Republic of Kenya? Epistemologically, this paper aimed at historically explaining the domestic political involvement in policing accountability in Kenya, diagnosing policing accountability in the wake of the General Election of 2013 and 2017, and analysing the impact of the domestic political context on the policing accountability of the KNPS. Security sector reforms, institutional theory and critical securities studies shall inform collective answers to the research problems raised in this paper. As a result, this paper adopts qualitative study as the method of research and employs evaluative and explanatory research that aims at evaluating the impacts of the political environment on the performance of the NPS and explaining more about the phenomenon of police accountability during the state’s General Elections. In other words, if the perceived subordination of the national police service units to the incumbent regimes that they serve is not broken, then NPS accountability will be diluted, and national security will be placed in jeopardy. Finally, the national security mechanisms will become politicized as opposed to being functional for citizens; thus, the achievement or the lack of police accountability holds the political environment key. As a result of this study, there will be an assessment of whether the accountability measures accorded with the New Constitution in shaping the National Police as a professional and transparent force that upholds and respects the rule of law and the rights and freedom of the people of Kenya. It is going to enable recommendations useful in establishing frameworks resulting in a sovereign police service.The analysis of this study show the intricate relationship on politics in that political pressure remains a problem in the NPS's operational independence. The procedural amendments that were made to make NPS independent and effective have not been realized because political interferences are still discovered. These pressures compromise the impartiality of the NPS, particularly during election time, thus affecting the public trust and police professionalism.The study revealed that reforms have been put in place to improve the independence of the NPS, but political interference remains a significant challenge. The history of political interference in the police and, hence, political influence in matters of policing, in addition to the quest for independence in the security sector, complicates the reform process and ensures that the security sector owes allegiance to the people, not political affiliations.enRight and freedomSocialpolitical systemPoliceThesis