•There will be 1,764 police stations across the country in one year.
• Northeastern will, however, have the least number of stations at 57.
Image: MAURICE ALAL
The National Police Service will set up 400 new police stations in the Rift Valley.
This will see the area have the highest number of stations in the country.
Documents obtained by the Star reveal Eastern will have the second-highest number at 348 stations followed by Nyanza at 251 stations.
Some 241 stations will be set up in Western and another 160 in Coast, while Nairobi will only have 96 stations.
Key sources within the police told the Star that volatile Northeastern, prone to terrorism, human trafficking and banditry, will have only 57 stations, ranking the lowest.
This is part of the government's plan to set up 1,764 police stations across the country in a year.
“The government is also following up with the county governments to provide land where there is none allocated for police stations. Paperwork is already being processed to ensure stations without valid titles get them on time,” the documents stated.
The changes follow a police census where officers were expected to submit their new details to headquarters by Monday last week.
The new data will help police in planning and reassigning officers to address the growing crime rate.
"It is disturbing to hear that some stations have more non-commissioned officers than the constables, while some police posts established in arid areas are run ven by junior police constables," Abdi M, who signed on behalf of DIG Edward Mbugua, said in the circular.
The circular was addressed to all police formations, regional commanders and directorates on behalf of the Kenya Police Service DIG Mbugua.
The order came after Vigilance House established that junior officers and supervisors have been colluding to submit wrong information to the police headquarters.
“In order to rectify these anomalies, county commanders are advised to submit the current status of your NCOs,” the circular read in part.
Top police officials told the Star that the Kenya Police will capitalize on AP camps around the country to establish new stations following Friday's merger.
“You find that APs were everywhere in this country compared to their counterparts in the Kenya Police Service. Most of the AP camps have been collapsed, merged or upgraded,” a source at the National Police Service said.
The 23, 000 APs absorbed in the KPS will now have to report to duty stations in the new uniforms following President Uhuru Kenyatta's police reforms launched in October last year.
(Edited by N.Mbugua)