by CYRUS OMBATI
Thursday September 19, 2024
President William Ruto during an event the Kenya School of Government on September 16, 2024.
Image: PCS
The government requires Sh106 billion to implement the reforms within the National Police Service, the Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service, President William Ruto revealed yesterday.
The police reforms were proposed by a task force led by former Chief Justice David Maraga.
Ruto made the remarks during the launch of a strategic framework for the implementation of reforms in the services.
The framework provides an integrated approach to reform priorities in a strategic and coordinated manner to ensure coherence among institutions.
From all the police reform initiatives, this is the first that has a strategic framework for implementation developed by relevant institutions.
The National Taskforce on Improvement of the Terms and Conditions of Service and other Reforms for the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service was appointed by Ruto on December 21, 2022.
The terms of reference for the team chaired by Maraga were to identify the legal, policy, administrative, institutional and operational constraints on effective service delivery and to recommend solutions.
It was also to review the terms and conditions of service for the three services and recommend their improvement.
The team presented its final report to Ruto on November 4, 2023.
On September 13 this year, the National Steering Committee, chaired by Interior PS Raymond Omollo, was gazetted. It was tasked to, among other key deliverables, develop an implementation framework to guide the reforms process.
Ruto said funds will be allocated to address key challenges that faced the services, career progression, digitisation of records, including police OBs and purchase of new equipment.
Out of the money, Sh22 billion will finance improvement in compensation package for officers while Sh37 billion will go to the upgrading of the hardware and welfare reforms and Sh45 billion is required to implement modernisation of the services.
Ruto said the National Treasury will provide part of the funds while the rest will be availed by investors.
"We appreciate the considerable financial implications of the full implementation of the changes prescribed by the Maraga task force. It is estimated that it will cost Sh106 billion to fully actualise these recommendations," he said.
Ruto said the government had procured 1,000 e-vehicles for police officers to enhance mobility.
He said plans were also in place to construct 32,000 houses for security officers.
"Some of our officers live in houses that are not different from the prisons themselves. That cannot be the case. That's why we extended the housing programme to include institutional houses for our military, police, NYS and prisons," the head of state said.
To implement the reforms within the three services, the President said ministries and agencies will oversee the implementation of the reforms in coordination with the National Steering Committee that was recently appointed by Interior CS Kithure Kindiki.
He said any challenges encountered must be resolved without delay through the committee and public participation must be included in developing policies and any form of constitutional changes.
NPS, KPS, NYS will be required to complete their modernisation strategies and plans and Treasury is required to ensure funding to implement these reforms, Ruto said.
A national inter-agency team was formed to guide and start the implementation process.
The National Inter-Agency Steering Committee, led by the Ministry of Interior and National administration, includes senior officials of the Ministry of Public Service, the National Treasury, Salaries and Remuneration Commission and the National Police Service Commission.
Others include officers drawn from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Public Service Commission, National Youth Service Council, the Judiciary and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
The committee started its work with the unpacking of at least 200 recommendations contained in the report.
The team finalised the guidelines that informed the implementation of the first phase.
It singled out recommendations that could be implemented through administrative action without requiring funding.
In this phase, service charters of the three services were reviewed and service standards developed.
Staff training and sensitisation focusing on the new service standards and far-reaching service delivery reforms have started, PS Omollo said.
The PS said the implementation of this phase of the reforms are at 65 per cent for NYS, 42 per cent for Kenya Prisons Service and 37 per cent at NPS.
The complaints handling processes for the three services have been reviewed in line with the recommendations of the task force.
Consultations on the implementation of recommendations that require funding without policy or legislation are at an advanced stage.
One such recommendation is on new basic salary scheme for the police, prisons and NYS officers.
The report identified specific issues such as political interference in NPS, corruption in employment and promotions and police training curriculum.
Others are inadequate National Police Service Commission, the role of the Cabinet secretary responsible for national security and the structure of the Internal Affairs Unit in the police.