- It comes amid anxiety and doubts from some officers on whether the President Willaim Ruto government will honour pledges it made during campaigns to review the police salaries.
- Any review of police salaries involves billions of shillings and officials say the government is worried how it will handle the matter.
Police officers are holding a meeting to discuss their welfare.
The meeting to take place at the National Police Service Embakasi A Campus from October 31 to Friday November 4 was called to discuss the issues of salaries, welfare, uniform and other administrative issues.
An internal memo in the service said the committee on the NPS reforms mandated to deliberate on the issue will meet and make recommendations.
Acting Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow had alerted the committee on the need to meet and “deliberate on the working committee’s reports”.
This prompted the Deputy Inspector General of Police Edward Mbugua to issue the memo dated October 27 summoning the meeting.
It comes amid anxiety and doubts from some officers on whether President William Ruto government will honour pledges it made during campaigns to review the police salaries.
Any review of police salaries involves billions of shillings and officials say the government is worried on how it will handle the matter.
This is because the team to be affected include personnel from Kenya Prisons Service and will see more than 150,000 officers involved.
The last time the salaries were reviewed was more than five years ago.
The Kenya Kwanza leaders had, during the campaign period, promised to review police salaries within 100 days.
They also promised to overhaul the Kenya Police Service within 100 days and restore dignity to the officers.
They argued the police don't like the new Persian blue uniform and promised to revert to the old navy blue and jungle green colours once elected.
"You have suffered so much. Even the new blue uniform that you don't want will be revoked and we go back to the old one. The blue one will be left for PCEA church. It is the uniform of the women's guild," now Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said during campaigns.
"We can’t allow our police officers to be demeaned by having such uniforms. It is an insult.”
Currently, the salaries vary depending on one’s experience. Apart from the basic salaries, allowances also differ. The National Police Service has 12 job grades and the civil service has 19 pay scales.
Constables, the lowest-ranked and who are majority, are on scale PG1 while senior officers fall in PG 12.
The ongoing talks are expected to be in tandem with a salary scheme developed by National Police Service Commission.
A constable earns Sh18,760 while a senior assistant inspector general gets Sh185,760.
A constable gets an allowance of Sh7,000, a corporal Sh7,800, a sergeant Sh8,540, a senior sergeant Sh9,000, an inspector Sh12,000, a chief inspector Sh16,000, a superintendent Sh26,500 and a senior superintendent Sh26,500.
The government awards the officers other allowances recommended in reforms geared at making the force a world-class service.
The National Task Force on Police Reforms, which set targets for the increases, had recommended that the entry point for a police constable be raised to Sh34,000.
Police have challenges that include poor pay, inadequate housing, poor training and low morale.
As part of efforts to address human resource issues in the service, the National Police Service Commission has developed 19 sub-schemes of service that will guide career progression of technical personnel who wish to join the service.
Other cadres are legal, civil engineering, electrical, electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, telecommunications engineering, aircraft maintenance and pilots.
These professionals will join the service at slightly higher grades owing to their qualifications.