NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 8— Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has moved to accelerate the operationalization of County Policing Authorities, in a push to give communities a more structured role in policing and strengthen accountability at the county level.Murkomen on Thursday met senior security officials led by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to review ongoing security reforms, with the meeting focusing on the legal and institutional arrangements needed to make the county policing structures fully functional.The move could deepen community participation in security planning by creating a formal platform bringing together national security agencies, county governments and representatives of local communities.He said the reforms would seek to strengthen public participation while ensuring policing remains anchored in the Constitution.“We remain committed to strengthening public participation in security matters, entrenching accountability and community policing, while ensuring that the implementation is undertaken within the Constitution,” Murkomen said.The County Policing Authorities are already provided for under the National Police Service Act, which establishes an authority in every county chaired by the governor and comprising representatives of the National Intelligence Service, National Police Service, county assemblies and community interests.The law also assigns the authorities a role in implementing community policing, including facilitating training, receiving reports from local policing structures and preparing county community-policing reports for submission to the Interior Cabinet Secretary.Murkomen said the latest discussions were aimed at addressing the legal and institutional requirements for the authorities to become operational.“We discussed the legal and institutional framework required to operationalise County Policing Authorities and agreed on the need for a coordinated approach involving all relevant institutions,” Murkomen said.The push comes as the government also moves to strengthen the National Police Service Reserve, another component of its wider community-based security strategy.Murkomen said he received an update on the National Police Service Reserve Policy, which is intended to provide a clearer framework for the management, coordination and deployment of National Police Reservists across the country.The National Police Service Act already provides for a National Police Reserve and allows reservists to assist the Kenya Police Service and Administration Police Service in maintaining law and order and preserving peace.The government has recently expanded training of reservists, particularly in areas affected by banditry and cattle rustling. In September, 705 newly trained National Police Reservists passed out at the Magado Field Training Camp in Meru County as part of efforts to strengthen security in vulnerable areas.Murkomen said the two reform tracks were intended to improve coordination and make policing more responsive to changing security threats.“These efforts are aimed at enhancing operational efficiency, strengthening coordination and ensuring that our policing remains responsive to the evolving security needs of the country,” he said.