Separate reform units have been established across the National Police Service, the Kenya Prisons Service, and the National Youth Service to coordinate the implementation of the reforms.
Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo revealed a dedicated police reform unit is now operational within the Ministry of Interior and National Administration, hosted by the Directorate of Reforms at the NPS.
Similarly, the KPS has set up a new directorate to oversee prison reforms, while the NYS has formed a reform committee for this purpose.
“We reaffirm our commitment to fully implementing these reforms, which are essential for strengthening the country’s security sector and enhancing service delivery to all Kenyans,” he said.
He said as part of the proposed reforms as indicated in a taskforce report by retired Chief Justice David Maraga, all police officers have received a salary raise effective July 1, 2024.
In the first phase, uniformed officers received a basic salary increase of 40 percent for constables, with the percentage gradually decreasing for higher ranks, down to a three percent increase for senior officers.
All police constables were paid Sh4,000 more as a salary increase.
Starting next month, September, 2024, officers within the Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service (NYS) will also begin receiving the increased pay as part of the Presidential directive on the expeditious implementation of the taskforce recommendations, that are being rolled out across these institutions.
Omollo said the reform process is set to take four years, from 2024 to 2028, guided by a strategic framework that focuses on four core areas that is leadership within the three services, oversight and accountability, institutional capacity development and human resource management, and operational preparedness and logistical capability.
“To ensure seamless implementation of the reforms, we have established Technical Committees on Development of the Legal and Policy Frameworks covering the three Services that have also been officially gazetted,” he said.
The Terms of Reference of these technical committees include proposing amendments to key laws and policies governing the security sector.
These are the National Police Service (Amendment) Bill, the National Police Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Amendment) Bill.
Additionally, the National Correctional Services Policy and the Kenya Correctional Services Bill are currently open for public participation.
In line with the reforms, the policing technical working group is also developing the National Forensic Laboratory Bill as well as reviewing the police training policy, curriculum, human resource, career progression guidelines and police welfare management frameworks.
The government needs a staggering Sh108 billion to implement the far-reaching reforms.
The report identified specific issues such as political interference in the National Police Service (NPS), corruption in employment and promotions, police training curriculum, an inadequate National Police Service Commission (NPSC), the role of the Cabinet Secretary responsible for National Security and structure of the Internal Affairs Unit (IAU) in the police.
While presenting the report, Maraga called for political goodwill in the implementation of the recommendations saying similar proposals were previously made but never implemented.
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