The Economic Survey 2021 has indicated that the number of crime cases reported to the police during the year 2020 reduced by 25.4 per cent from 93,411 in 2019 to 69,645 in 2020.
The survey also shows that the number of crimes reported to the police involving other offences against persons decreased by 29.1 per cent in 2020 and accounted for 27.7 per cent of all reported crimes.
Cases involving stealing, went down by 37.6 per cent from 13,954 in 2019 to 8,709 in 2020.
There was also a slight increase in reported cases of offences against morality by 13.7 per cent from 8,051 in 2019 to 9,153 in 2020.
Generally, the survey which was conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicates that the reduction in the number of offences could be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic containment measures.
The restriction and curfews also led to the reduction of crimes committed as well as reporting to the police.
However, homicides increased by 4.7 per cent from 2,971 recorded in 2019 to 3,111 in 2020.
During the same period, the prison population declined by 60.7 per cent to 86,119 in 2020 with the number of convicted and un-convicted prisoners decreasing by 62.1 per cent and 60.0 per cent to 29,306 and 56,813 respectively in 2020.
The number of offenders serving probation sentences declined by 58.9 per cent from 11,515 in 2019 to 4,730 in 2020 while that of offenders under community service and those serving aftercare decreased from 17,067 and 560 in 2019 to 15,666 and 92 respectively in 2020.
According to KNBS, the significant decline was attributed to the 2017 case order which was meant to review the sentences of offenders serving death sentence or life imprisonment to definite terms which resulted in early releases.
The decline has also been attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, where the government reviewed cases of remandees to alternative non-custodial sentencing, affordable bails, and re -trials to avoid congestion in prisons.
Edited by CM
