Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has announced sweeping police reforms touching on station designs, uniforms, and promotions.
Speaking on Thursday, September 4, during the closing ceremony of the OCS Consultative Conference at the National Police Leadership Academy (NPLA) in Ngong, Murkomen explained that under the new design, all police stations will be required to house essential facilities.
These will include gender desks, OCS offices, desks for handling child-related incidents, and CCTV surveillance systems. Properly secured armouries will also be part of the new blueprint.
“For all new police stations, the specifications should include installation of ICT equipment such as CCTV and computers, so that we can have fully functional police stations,” Murkomen said.
“It’s good for everybody — good for the police station and for the citizens coming to seek services.”
CS Murkomen Announces Changes on Police Station Designs and Promotions
The redesign will be spearheaded by the Department of Public Works and TVET institutions in collaboration with the police leadership under the Inspector General.
“The National Police Service has designed a full police station. We are costing it together with Public Works and the School of TVET to get a very standard, reasonable cost,” he said.
“President Ruto has agreed and told me that by the next Supplementary Budget, we will get some resources to start with maybe 300 police stations and then add more as we move on. I am also engaging with the CDF team and members of Parliament to see how many police stations can be constructed.”
On promotions, the CS emphasized that the ministry is preparing a legal framework that will guide progression, remuneration, and schemes of service.
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According to Murkomen, it has to be clear how long someone can serve as a constable, a corporal, and so forth, until retirement.
He stated that corporals who have served for 15 years and constables who are 50 years old should be promoted on merit, noting that stagnation in ranks demoralizes officers.
“This is a stopgap measure. The real issue, as discussed in Jukwaa la Usalama, is to have a standing policy that defines how long an officer can stay in a particular rank. Career progression must also be linked to remuneration and the scheme of service,” he added.
Maternity Uniforms to be Provided for Female Officers
CS Murkomen further disclosed that all police officers and National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) will soon receive new uniforms, following extensive consultations with officers across the country.
He added that female officers will now be provided with maternity uniforms to ensure they are not forced to take leave during pregnancy due to ill-fitting attire.
“I have instructed IG Douglas Kanja and DIG Eliud Lagat that future police uniforms must include maternity wear for female police officers. It has never been considered before, yet many young female officers join the service while still young and eventually start families,” the CS said.
“They need proper uniforms even when they are expecting. This will be the first time we introduce maternity uniforms for police officers.”
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Police Transfers and Reward Schemes
At the same time, Murkomen said the government will soon introduce clear guidelines on police transfers to prevent officers from overstaying in one location.
He explained that a ceiling period will be set to determine how long an officer can serve in an operational area before being moved. The CS said the new policy will ensure fairness and efficiency in postings, noting that some officers have remained in one station for too long.
Additionally, he announced plans for a reward scheme to recognise exemplary service in the police and administrative units. He said an annual recognition day will be introduced to celebrate officers who excel in leadership, sports, and service delivery, including managing model police stations.
“Recognition motivates,” Murkomen said, adding that rewarding outstanding officers would boost morale and encourage professionalism across the service.
On recruitment, Murkomen announced that the ministry will issue official dates by Monday, with the exercise expected to take place within September, as directed earlier by President William Ruto.
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