The promotion of 4,150 National Police Service (NPS) officers on merit has triggered discontent among some beneficiaries over a requirement that they undergo mandatory training before taking up their new responsibilities.
The officers, some of whom have spent many years in the same rank, have questioned the need for a six-week training programme, arguing that promotion on merit already recognises their experience, performance and ability to serve at a higher level.
The training is expected to be conducted at the National Police College in Kiganjo, Nyeri County, with each class capped at 50 officers.
The officers have also questioned whether the NPS Standing Orders expressly require officers promoted through the merit-based pathway to undergo additional training.
The group of 4,150 officers forms part of reforms aimed at addressing long-standing career stagnation within the police service. Unlike the traditional promotion process, which involves interviews, vetting and assessment by promotion boards, the new approach seeks to fast-track promotions for officers who have remained in the same rank for extended periods.
The reforms were announced by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen during a Jukwaa la Usalama meeting in Kericho last year.
Under the programme, police constables aged 50 and above were to be considered for automatic promotion on merit, while corporals and sergeants who had served for more than 15 years in the same rank would also be considered.
Inspectors who had stagnated in the same rank for at least 10 years were similarly targeted.
Murkomen, however, made it clear that promotion would be followed by training.
“You will all be promoted on merit, but you will first undergo a capacity-building course. We will ensure that all of them are trained after promotion,” he said during the meeting.
The programme has now entered the implementation phase, with 1,100 officers scheduled to undertake the Station Senior Sergeant Supervisory Course, while 3,050 officers will attend the Station Corporal Supervisory and Leadership Course.
Some officers have questioned the value of taking officers approaching retirement away from their stations for extended training.
One officer questioned whether resources would be better directed towards younger officers who have many years remaining in the service.
Others have raised family concerns, saying the training could keep them away from their school-going children and workplaces for several weeks.
But senior officers have dismissed the objections, saying the training is intended to prepare beneficiaries for the responsibilities attached to their new ranks.
A senior police officer argued that an officer should not be denied promotion simply because they are approaching retirement.
The officer said the training would help beneficiaries understand their expanded responsibilities rather than undermine the merit-based promotions.
NPS spokesperson Nyaga Muchiri defended the programme, describing it as a capacity-building exercise designed to equip officers with skills and knowledge relevant to their new roles.
He said the training was part of wider police reforms and was consistent with the NPS Strategic Plan.
“It is a necessary and important exercise meant to sharpen and keep our officers up to date on all security situations and various operational scenarios,” Muchiri said.
Career stagnation
The dispute comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns over career stagnation in the police service.
The national taskforce on police reforms, chaired by retired Chief Justice David Maraga, found that some officers had remained in the same rank for decades, with some eventually retiring as constables despite having clean records and qualifications for promotion.
The taskforce said career stagnation had affected morale and productivity within the service.
It also received allegations of corruption, nepotism, favouritism, tribalism and sexual exploitation during promotion interviews.
One female officer told the taskforce that she had allegedly been required to provide a bribe and sexual favours to secure a promotion.
The taskforce subsequently questioned the fairness and transparency of the traditional promotion board system.
It recommended that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) withdraw delegated authority given to the Inspector-General of Police to administer promotions, abolish promotion boards and establish mechanisms for open, transparent and competitive career advancement.
The current merit-based promotion programme is part of efforts to address those longstanding concerns, but the mandatory training requirement has now become a new point of contention among some of the officers selected for promotion.
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