The government has unveiled an ambitious plan to construct 900 new police stations across the country within the next two years.
President William Ruto said the move is aimed at strengthening security and bringing policing services closer to communities.
Ruto made the announcement on Tuesday at State House, Nairobi, during the presentation of the Jukwaa la Usalama report, a comprehensive document compiled from months of nationwide public engagements on security and service delivery.
“We have agreed that we will build 900 new police stations in the next two years. Some areas are very far away from the nearest police station,” the President said.
He noted that long distances to police facilities continue to hinder timely response to emergencies, delay investigations and weaken community policing efforts.
Under the plan, the Affordable Housing Programme will be responsible for constructing 300 police stations, integrating security infrastructure within its broader national development projects.
Ruto added that he intends to engage MPs to allocate NG-CDF funds for the construction of another 300 stations, while the Ministry of Interior and National Administration will take up the remaining 300.
Beyond expanding policing infrastructure, the President
announced that the government will operationalise 24 new sub-counties, 88
divisions and 675 sub-locations within the next year.
He said this decentralisation is meant to ensure government services are more accessible to citizens, especially in underserved and remote areas.
The Jukwaa la Usalama report laid bare the scale of infrastructural challenges faced by government workers, especially in recently established administrative units.
It noted that many officers lack proper workspaces and often operate from makeshift or shared facilities.
In Turkana County, for instance, the newly operationalised Lokiriama Sub-County has no office, forcing officers to work from Loima Sub-County headquarters, nearly 80 kilometres away.
In Marakwet West, the Kaptalamwa Police Station and Kapkuchur Location Chief's Office are cramped into a two-room colonial-era structure, with the chief’s office doubling as a police cell at night.
The report further highlights dilapidated or inadequate facilities across various regions.
The Coast Regional Commissioner’s office is described as being in urgent need of renovation, while the Tana River County Commissioner’s office is too small to effectively serve its administrative functions.
In Samburu, the County Commissioner operates from premises belonging to the Civil Registration Services department after construction of the intended county administration block stalled for years.
In Trans Nzoia, some police stations have been condemned yet remain in use due to lack of alternatives. Bomet County faces similar constraints, and Deputy County Commissioners in Kipipiri and Ndaragwa in Kirinyaga County are yet to be allocated offices.
To address these challenges, participants in the Jukwaa la Usalama forums recommended stronger partnerships with the private sector to support the construction of modern police stations and administrative offices.
They also proposed a policy requiring all major national projects—such as roads, hospitals and universities—to include integrated security infrastructure in their design and construction phases.
