Revealed: Why Police Salary Increment Will Wait Longer 

The proposed increase of police salaries will have to wait indefinitely.

Inspector General of police Japhet Koome told his juniors the increase will not be effected as announced by the Salaries Remuneration Commission.

Instead he told his officers to be patient until a task force formed to review police affairs completes its work.

“Please note that, my attention has been draw to information appearing in the media regarding new salaries of the National Police Service.”

“Consequently, you are asked to inform all members of the National Police Service to be patient for the next few weeks with a view to waiting for release of the Presidential Taskforce on reforms in the National Police Service report/recommendations to the appointing authority,” he said in an internal memo.

He said once this has been done, all will be informed on the new salaries and allowances by this office.

Read: Suspended Cop Lawrence Njue Lays Bare His Tribulations, Accuses Police Commission Of Defying Court Orders

The terms of reference of the retired Chief Justice David Maraga taskforce are to review the human capital management and development policies with a view of examining and reviewing standards and practices in recruitment, deployment, transfers, training, career progression, performance-based and competitive promotions, reward, exit, and post-exit management.

President William Ruto established the task force through a gazette notice on December 21, 2022, to identify and recommend legal, policy, administrative, institutional, and operational reforms in the National Police Service and the Kenya Prisons Service for effective service delivery.

Retired Chief Justice David Maraga’s team is also expected to review and recommend improving the units’ terms and services and other reforms.

SRC chair Lyn Mengich said civil servants will get a salary increase of between seven and 10 percent over a two-year period, inclusive of the existing notch increase, which averages three percent annually.

Mengich confirmed that the National Treasury had allocated Sh27.1 billion for the Financial Year 2023/24.

The pay rise will be backdated to July 1.

“The salary structures for unionisable employees to be undertaken through the Collective Bargaining Negotiations (CBN) process,” she said.

Those set to benefit from the allocation are teachers, doctors, nurses, police, military, and officers working under the Executive.

Teachers got the lion’s share of the allocation of Sh9.5 billion which represents 44.2 percent of the total budget, followed by officers in the uniformed and disciplined services who got Sh4.5 billion (20.9%).

Others are state officers in county governments who got Sh4 billion (18.8%), civil service Sh1.8 billion (8.5%), other public officers Sh745 million (3.4%), county state officers Sh408 million (1.9%), Judiciary state officers (1.4%), Executive state offices Sh126 million (0.6%), and parliament state officers Sh78 million (0.4%).

The commission scrapped several perks which include retreat allowances, sitting, and taskforce allowances for Institutional and Internal Committees.

Further, SRC said Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) for local travel had been standardised across the country for the respective grades.

The National Police Service Commission had told the Maraga team that the lowest paid police officer should earn Sh36,550, up from the current Sh20,390.

NPSC also recommended that the officers’ leave allowance should be equivalent to a one month’s salary.

NPS also recommended that Inspector be paid Sh57,060 up from Sh42,940 while Senior Sergeants’ salaries be increased from Sh40,270 to Sh53,570, Sergeant Sh36,450 to Sh47,290, Corporal from Sh26,500 to 40,270, and Constable from Sh20,390 to Sh36,450.

However, the team did not propose salary increases for the IG and his deputies.

The IG and DIGs currently earn Sh765,188 and Sh621,250 respectively.

It however is proposed that Senior Assistant Inspector General (SAIG) salary be increased from Sh189, 640 to Sh230, 170; AIG from Sh151, 550 to Sh208, 830, Commissioner of Police (CP) from Sh103, 360 to Sh189, 640, while Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) from Sh68, 720 to Sh151,550.

It further proposed that SP’s salary be increased from Sh57, 060 to Sh131,550, Assistant SP from Sh53, 570 to Sh103, 360 and Chief Inspector from Sh47,290 to Sh68,720.

“Currently members of the Service are paid a leave allowance of between Sh4,000 to Sh10,000 based on ranks. The Commission recommends payment of leave allowance once a year at the rate of one-month basic salary,” the commission said.

They noted that the police uniform was not gender-responsive to women police officers during pregnancy and it was not provided for under the current uniform arrangement. The Commission recommended a maternity dress allowance of Sh30,000 during pregnancy.