- The taskforce amongst other proposed 40 percent salary increment for officers.
- NPS also requires Sh48 million to conclude Shakhahola probe
Image: PCS
Police officers in the country will have to wait longer to reap the fruits of the radical police reforms recommended by the taskforce chaired by ex-Chief Justice David Maraga.
The ambitious reforms that were billed as the solution to the welfare of police officers missed out completely from the next year’s budget.
Treasury failed to make any allocation to the Sh15 billion that was required to finance the changes.
In the reforms, National Police Service, Prisons Service and the National Youth Service officers were to get a 40 per cent salary increase.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s committee on Administration and Internal Security, Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome showed zero allocation to the crucial reforms.
The committee is chaired by Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo.
The police boss made a case for the reinstatement of the Sh15 billion which is part of the Sh60.61 billion shortfall.
He explained that the taskforce had recommended that the implementation of the remunerations of the officers be done in three financial cycles including 2024/2025 and 2026/2027 financial years.
“Underfunded recurrent areas for the financial year 2024/2025. Personal emoluments (Maraga Taskforce report -phase 1) allocation nil," Koome said.
Koome was accompanied by Secretary Administration and the NPS accounting officer Bernice Lemedeket.
“We request for kind consideration of the underfunded areas highlighted in the report and commit that the funds will be utilised prudently in an efficient, economical and effective manner to enhance service delivery by NPS,” she told the committee.
Maraga report further proposed that the salary increment be implemented in phases over three years.
Koome also made a strong pitch for additional Sh48 million to be used in concluding investigations of the Shakhahola massacre.
The said monies, he regretted, was not factored in the 2023/2024 budget and thus ought to be factored in the supplementary estimates.
He further said dealing with the Shakahola probe was a very expensive affair for the service and thus needs more funding.
Most of the expenditure was incurred in sending huge team to Malindi to carry out the operation that drained their finances.
"The investigations have been ongoing for the last one year since March 2023 and is expected to go on till the end of year 2024. This exercise had not been budgeted for in the current financial year and has drained security operations funds meant for other operations,” he told the committee.
"This was very expensive to NPS. We had to dispatch a huge team from headquarters to Malindi and to sustain them was not easy. We also need the money because there are other areas of Shakahola that need to be opened.”
The police boss further appealed to the committee to consider allocating an additional Sh1.88 billion for police recruitment as they were only allocated Sh3.15 billion against a requirement of Sh5.03 billion.
He disputed the figure submitted by the National Police Service Commission that they require an additional 10,000 officers saying this was only agreed by commissioners who are non-uniforms.
According to Koome, recruiting 10,000 officers is a huge task and could compromise on quality.
“NPS has no issues, if there are issues it is with NPSC. If there are issues there is a chairperson heading that department. What we know is that NPS has made requests of 5,000 officers and not 10,000. The commission came here without uniformed officers and gave their own figure," Koome said.
NP—according to the IG — also requires Sh2 billion for the purchase of uniform and clothing, Sh1 billion for National Police Reservists and Sh629.64 million for presidential escort units and G Company.