ABSTRACT
This study sought to analyse the performance of police women officers in the Administration Police Service (APS) headquarters in Nairobi County. Specific objectives of the study included: examining the nature of work performed by police women in Administration Police Service Headquarters, assessment of the effect of deployment policy on performance of Administration Police Service women, finding out the psychosocial factors that influence performance of APS women and analysing challenges facing police women in APS Headquarters. The study was guided by the Radical Feminist and African Feminist theories. The Radical feminist theory assumes that women are vulnerable and dependent on men due to their biological hazards. African Feminist theory postulates that women are perceived weaker due to their social roles in the patriarchal world and they are largely associated with gendered roles like taking care of children and home keeping while men are associated with public roles. The study adopted a descriptive research design and disproportionate stratified sampling. The target population was 100; 50 APS police women, 35 selected policemen deployed at the APS headquarters in Nairobi County and some (15) men sampled from the family members of the police women. The targeted population was categorized into five (5) levels whereby disproportionate stratified sampling technique was adopted for the police women, while random sampling technique was adopted for the remaining levels. Further, the sample size had five levels, where four levels were from APS; police women, policemen in senior management, middle management and the lower level management, while the other level was some men from the family members of APS police women within Nairobi County. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaires and interview guides and it was supplemented by secondary data obtained from library research. After collection, data was coded, tabulated and interpreted in relation to research objectives and questions. Data Processing was done and presented in the form of percentages, tabulations, charts and frequency. Data analyses were both quantitative and qualitative whereby qualitative data findings are presented in a narrative form. The research established that women are excluded from police roles due to biological hazards i.e. pregnancy, menstrual cramps, childbirth, breastfeeding and child rearing. Moreover, there are numerous challenges affecting police women performance in the Administration Police Service Headquarters. These includes: being perceived as weaker sex, intimidation from seniors officers, lack of mentorship, low self-esteem, sexual harassment, inadequate opportunities for participation in policy formulation, interactional obstacles, unreported domestic violence, not being given sufficient time to nurse children and inadequate housing. To address these challenges the study recommends formation of APS women’s network committee for mentorship and gender mainstreaming trainings within Administration Police Service.