The government needs a staggering Sh108 billion to implement far-reaching reforms in the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service.
Internal Security and National Administration Principal Secretary, Dr. Raymond Omollo, said the reforms will be implemented in four years – 2024 to 2028 – in line with a strategic framework guiding the process.
The revelations come amid reports there is no budgetary allocation for the implementation.
The ambitious reforms that were billed as the solution to the welfare of police officers missed out completely from the next year’s budget.
This is after the Treasury failed to make any allocation to the Sh15 billion that was required to finance the changes.
Omollo said the framework developed in consultation with stakeholders from February this year, has identified four key areas of reform.
They are leadership in the three services, oversight and accountability, institutional capacity development and human resource management and development, as well as operational preparedness and logistical capability.
Dr Omollo said the four areas of reform have been identified by an inter-agency steering committee he chairs following the recommendations of a taskforce led by former Chief Justice David Maraga.
The Maraga taskforce submitted its report to President William Ruto in November last year.
While addressing development partners during a roundtable to brief them on the status of reform execution at the Sarova Stanley, Nairobi, on Thursday, Dr Omollo said the government had committed to implement the reforms.
The President, he said, was keen to have the reforms implemented expeditiously in full and in line with his campaign promises while seeking office.
The Maraga taskforce made a total of 598 specific areas of reform.
They include 271 recommendations on police service, 210 on NYS and 117 on the prisons service.
Dr. Omollo who chairs a team spearheading the implementation of the reforms said they later categorized them to the four broad areas.
The PS said that, of the 598 recommendations, the National Inter-Agency Steering Committee identified 291 that could be implemented through administrative action without financial implication.
“A total of 177 reform recommendations can be implemented with injection of financial resources without policy and legislative changes,” the PS said.
He added that other reforms required implementation after changes to policy and legislation or required further consultation with stakeholders.
He urged the development partners to support the Government in the reform agenda for successful implementation.
During the meeting, development partners pledged to support the reforms and commended the Government for the pace and direction the changes were taking.
UNDP Resident Representative Anthony Ngororano and United Kingdom High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan said they were confident that the strategic framework guiding the implementation was robust and could achieve intended results.
“Congratulations for coming up with the strategic framework within a short period and setting up the reform unit as well as setting up the national steering committee to guide the process,” Ngororano said.
High Commissioner Wigan said: “We commend the progress made in the short period taken to develop the strategic framework that will govern and prioritise the police reform agenda.”
Wigan said the United Kingdom had consultations with the Ministry of Interior and was keen to support the reforms, including police modernization programme, accountability mechanisms and the fight against corruption in the service.
The United Kingdom, he added, will support monitoring and evaluation of the reforms being undertaken in the police service.
Present at the roundtable meeting included the Principal Secretary for Correctional Service Dr. Salome Muhia-Beacco and Solicitor-General Hon Shadrack Mose.
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