Policing as social control: police officer perspectives on the policing of queer people in Kenya. Di Kamau Wairuri
October 27th, 2025
The article “Policing as Social Control: Police Officer Perspectives on the Policing of Queer People in Kenya”, published in the journal Policing and Society in September 2025, presents a qualitative study based on interviews and focus groups with 33 police officers in Nairobi and Mombasa, Kenya. The study explores the perspectives and attitudes of Kenyan police toward queer individuals.
The article not only investigates a largely unexplored area of research – the abuse of authority against queer people in Kenya – but also examines the mechanisms of social control, emphasizing how these constitute a central function of policing. The author demonstrates that police practices aimed at maintaining such control are strongly shaped by the officers’ religious and cultural beliefs, within a broader context where the criminalization and stigmatization of homosexuality, along with widespread homophobia and transphobia, form the backdrop.
To read and download the article click here.