President William Ruto during an event at the Kenya School of Government on September 16, 2024. Image: PCS
During an event brimming with anticipation yesterday, President William Ruto unveiled an ambitious plan requiring Sh106 billion to invigorate the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service, and the National Youth Service with much-needed reforms.
Originally envisioned by a task force helmed by ex-Chief Justice David Maraga, these sweeping policing reforms were long-awaited.
With palpable sincerity, Ruto shared these details at the launch of a groundbreaking strategic framework tailored for effective reform implementation across the aforementioned services.
This holistic framework stands out for its seamless, integrated approach to aligning reform priorities, aimed at ensuring cohesiveness among various institutions.
Remarkably, this is the inaugural strategic framework meticulously designed by relevant bodies for executing police reforms.
Appointed by Ruto on December 21, 2022, the National Taskforce on Improvement of the Terms and Conditions of Service and other Reforms for the police, prisons, and youth services had a broad mandate. Chaired by Maraga, their mission was to uncover and remove legal, policy, administrative, institutional, and operational hurdles stymying effective service delivery, while also reviewing and recommending enhancements for service conditions.
Their exhaustive findings were handed over to Ruto on November 4, 2023.
Fast forward to September 13, 2024, the National Steering Committee, under Interior PS Raymond Omollo, was officially gazetted. This committee was charged with crafting a robust implementation framework to shepherd the reform process.
On identifying and dismantling significant service barriers, Ruto outlined plans to allocate funds towards improving career progression, digitizing police records, and updating equipment.
Breaking down the Sh106 billion, Sh22 billion is reserved for officer compensation enhancements, Sh37 billion for upgrading hardware and welfare reforms, and Sh45 billion for modernizing infrastructure and services.
While the National Treasury will cover part of these costs, external investors will also chip in.
“We acknowledge the substantial financial demands of fully implementing the Maraga task force’s recommendations. It’s estimated at Sh106 billion,” Ruto remarked.
Further bolstering the initiative, Ruto noted that the government procured 1,000 e-vehicles to boost police mobility, alongside plans to erect 32,000 new houses for security personnel.
“It’s unacceptable for our officers to live in conditions comparable to prisons. Therefore, we’re extending housing projects to include institutional accommodations for our military, police, NYS, and prisons,” he declared.
In tandem with the broader overhaul, Ruto underscored that ministries and agencies would spearhead the reform implementation in coordination with the freshly appointed National Steering Committee, chaired by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki.
Ruto emphasized the importance of addressing any hurdles expeditiously through committee mediation, further advocating for public involvement in policy and constitutional amendments.
He insisted that the NPS, KPS, and NYS finalize their modernization strategies, with the Treasury ensuring necessary funding for these reforms.
An inter-agency team has been forged to drive and monitor the execution of these initiatives.
This National Inter-Agency Steering Committee, led by the Ministry of Interior, includes high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Public Service, National Treasury, Salaries and Remuneration Commission, and National Police Service Commission.
The panel also comprises representatives from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Public Service Commission, National Youth Service Council, Judiciary, and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
Diving into their mission, the committee began dissecting over 200 recommendations featured in the report, establishing foundational guidelines for the reform’s first phase.
Initial efforts targeted actionable recommendations not requiring immediate funding, focusing on revising service charters and developing new service standards for the three services.
As articulated by PS Omollo, staff training and awareness around these new standards and broader service delivery reforms are well underway, with NYS achieving 65%, Kenya Prisons Service 42%, and NPS 37% of the implementation targets.
Efforts to overhaul the complaints handling systems for these services are already aligning with the task force’s recommendations.
Advanced consultations are ongoing for implementing recommendations needing financial support but not legislative changes, including a revamped salary scheme for police, prisons, and NYS officers.
The report spotlighted pervasive issues such as political meddling in the NPS, corrupt hiring and promotion practices, and deficiencies in the police training curriculum.
Other critical areas needing attention include the functionality of the National Police Service Commission, the cabinet secretary’s role in national security, and the structuring of the Internal Affairs Unit within the police.
