President William Ruto has stated that a task force will be formed to review police officer welfare by the end of the year.
The president stated during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium that this is part of his ongoing efforts to improve the working conditions and morale of the nation’s law enforcement.
The head of state stated that there was widespread agreement that there had been a paradigm shift in policing, allowing us to provide our citizens with a high level of security while also upholding their constitutional rights to the fullest extent possible.
“I commend the entire national police service, from the constable on the beat to the Inspector-General, for the enthusiasm with which they have embraced the changes and enhanced our general security through increased vigilance and improved relationships with citizens and their communities,” Ruto said.
“Before the end of the year, I will be appointing a task force to review the terms of the police service,” he added.
The review, which was promised during Kenya Kwanza’s election campaigns and inauguration, has been hailed as an important step toward honoring the toil and commitment of front-line officers.
The president promised that the evaluation will take into account the demands of the job as well as the economic climate to ensure that police officers are paid fairly and competitively.
The review will also evaluate current welfare programs and benefits in order to raise the general standard of living for officers and their families.
President Ruto also stated that he has executed the necessary instrument to actualize the National Police Service’s financial independence, recognizing that this is the substantive enabler of genuine institutional independence.
Police operational independence is required for efficiency, professionalism, and accountability.
“Since then, we have engaged to successfully re-orient policing operations from a heavy and illegitimate reliance on illegal and extra-judicial interventions, which frequently entail such intolerable violations as abduction, torture, disappearance and murder,” he said.
