POLICE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND PUBLIC TRUST IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

This study looked into how the police department uses social media to foster public trust and how that usage affects security operations in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study looked at a number of objectives including social media platforms, public attitudes and perceptions, the strategies that police use on social media to enhance public trust, the challenges they encounter in gaining public support, and the effects on Nairobi City County's security management. The technological acceptability model and information flow theory directed the investigation. The study being mixed research used explanatory sequential research design.  In this type of a mixed research design, quantitative data is collected first, followed by qualitative data. Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers, General Duty Officers, Human Rights Activists, National Police Service Headquarters' Communication Department, Youth Groups, Local Administrative Officers, Independent Policing Oversight Authority, and Senior Ministry of ICT officials were among the study's target population. Questionnaires and interviews were utilized as data gathering tools in the project, which employed simple and purposeful random sampling approaches. Quantitative data was analyzed using the SPSS output for descriptive statistics, while qualitative data was analyzed thematically as per study objectives. The study established that Facebook and Twitter are the most preferred social media platforms for police communication. On the same note, study found out that public perception and attitudes significantly influence public trust on police use of social media. Further the study established that the people of Nairobi are aware of the police's social media strategies and the most common strategies are incident reporting and updating, with moderate use of public relations. Community discussions are less common. The study revealed that police face challenges in using social media to build public trust, with false information, misuse, privacy concerns, technical issues, lack of resources, and inadequate training being the most significant issues. The study recommends that police should expand their use of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and TikTok, and address concerns about misinformation and privacy. Regular updates and active interaction are crucial for building public trust. Police should be transparent, monitor content, engage the community, and use proven strategies like incident reporting. Overcoming challenges like misinformation, privacy concerns, investing in tools, and initiating public awareness campaigns can further enhance social media efforts.