The government has acknowledged that slow implementation has historically hindered police reforms in Kenya, even as it defends the pace of changes being introduced under the current reform programme.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 2, the Ministry of Interior said the public discussion on police reforms is welcome, noting that the process has been ongoing for years and has involved several commissions and taskforces.
According to the Ministry, Kenya’s police reform journey dates back to the reforms associated with Dr John Mutonyi in the early 2000s, followed by the Justice Philip Waki Commission in 2008 and the Justice Philip Ransley Taskforce in 2009.
Interior Ministry Says Slow Pace of Implementation Delayed Police Reforms
The Ministry said successive reform initiatives have contributed to the evolution of policing in Kenya, but implementation has remained a major challenge.
“Historically, however, the challenge has often been the pace of implementation,” the Ministry said, noting that reforms have in the past taken many years to move from recommendations to action.
The government said the National Taskforce on Improvement of the Terms and Conditions of Service and Other Reforms for Members of the National Police Service has played a key role in the reforms currently being implemented.
The Ministry said many of the changes being implemented originate directly from the taskforce’s recommendations.
It described the current programme as one of the fastest and most measurable police reform implementation programmes in recent history.
Maraga Releases Police Reforms Report, Raises Concerns Over Implementation
This comes after Former Chief Justice David Maraga released the National Taskforce on Police Reforms’ full report, nearly three years after submitting it to President William Ruto.
Maraga said the full implementation of the taskforce report by the state will ensure the independence of the National Police Service (NPS), especially during the election season.
The taskforce submitted its report to the President on November 16, 2023.
However, the report remained unpublished, even though the National Police Service Commission said in October 2024 that it was making progress in implementing some of the recommendations.
Maraga said the report contains about 200 recommendations, many of which had not been implemented.
“It called the 2014 amendments unconstitutional; it demanded their repeal and fresh vetting and appointment of officers from senior superintendent of police. That recommendation was ignored,” Maraga said.
Also Read: Maraga Report: Police in Deep Blue Uniforms Looked Like Civilian Guards
Police Officers Stuck at Same Rank for Decades
One of the issues identified by the national taskforce was the slow career progression of police officers.
The Ministry said the taskforce found that some officers had remained at the rank of Police Constable for more than 30 years.
The government described the situation as unsustainable, saying the career progression problem affected officers who had spent decades in the same rank.
In response, the National Police Service Commission promoted 1,957 long-serving Police Constables aged 53 years and above in 2025.
The Ministry said many of those promoted had served in the same rank for decades.
Additional promotions were also effected across several ranks, including Chief Inspector, Inspector, Senior Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal and Police Constable.
The changes aimed to address career progression within the National Police Service and give long-serving officers opportunities to advance through the ranks.
Police Recruitment Resumes After More Than 3 Years
The government also pointed to the resumption of police recruitment as another major development under the reform programme.
According to the Ministry, recruitment of new police officers resumed after more than three years without a nationwide recruitment exercise.
The resumption aimed to restore the personnel pipeline and bring a new generation of officers into the National Police Service.
The Ministry linked the renewed recruitment programme to the recent Kenya Police Service passing-out parade, which it said was the 149th pass-out parade.
Also Read: Revealed: New Pay Structure and Allowances for Police Officers Maraga Report Proposed
The government has also highlighted police pay as one of the reforms arising from the national taskforce’s recommendations.
The Ministry said salaries were among the key recommendations made by the taskforce.
It said the entry-level basic salary for officers graduating from police training colleges has increased from KSh20,390 to KSh38,975.
A serving Police Constable can now earn up to KSh57,700, compared with KSh29,296 previously, according to the Ministry.
The government said the phased remuneration review began in 2024 and was concluded in 2026.
It said the review delivered increases of up to 40 per cent for officers in the lowest cadres.
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