National Police Service (NPS) has called for a review of electoral regulations to tame cases of violence witnessed during the electioneering period.

Commissioner of Police Dominick Kisavi said current regulations do not give officers enforcement powers during party primaries, an omission to blame for the bulk of cases of violence reported during exercise.

In an interview with Kenya News Agency, Kisavi, who is also the head of National Police Service Elections Security Secretariat, said adequate measures have been put in place to ensure the General Election is conducted peacefully.  He further said the current the law was only clear on the enforcement role of police during the official campaign period and elections.

 This, he said, has in the past seen cases of violence reported across the country leading to loss of lives and property during party primaries.

This year, however, he said the cases dropped from 1,450 in 2017 to 114 following a raft of interventions mooted by the police. NPS, he disclosed, liaised with Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, electoral agency and aspirants to ensure security was maintained during primaries.

“The role of police officers is to protect lives and property. Therefore, we cannot just sit there and watch because we do not have the powers to enforce the law during party primaries,” he said.