President William Ruto has reaffirmed the government’s dedication to delivering on its promise of salary increases for prison officers and police personnel, starting this month.
During the swearing-in ceremony for the new Prisons Service Commissioner General at State House, Ruto assured that his administration would uphold its commitment to these servicemen.
“In accordance with the pledge I made to our uniformed officers, we will begin implementing the promised salary enhancements from this month,” President Ruto stated. “They will receive their first installment of the salary increase starting this month.”
Earlier this year, the government committed to a 40 percent salary increase for police officers and prison wardens, effective from July. This raise follows the recommendations of the Taskforce led by former Chief Justice David Maraga last year.
When President William Ruto received the final report last November, he instructed the Salaries Remuneration Commission to initiate necessary adjustments.
Prison officers and personnel in the National Youth Service (NYS) are also set to benefit from this initiative, aimed at enhancing service delivery within the security sector.
Ruto emphasized that the salary increase and other proposed reforms are designed to address issues identified by the task force, including underfunding, poor leadership, structural and organizational weaknesses, and corruption.
The Taskforce, established on December 21, 2022, through a Gazette notice, was tasked with evaluating and recommending improvements to the working and living conditions of police officers. It also aimed to suggest legal, policy, administrative, institutional, and operational reforms for the National Police Service (NPS), Kenya Police Service, and National Youth Service to ensure effective service delivery.
In August, the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) introduced the third remuneration review cycle for officers and civilians within the service for 2021-2025. This review set the monthly salary for a newly recruited constable at Sh21,645 and provided salary increases ranging from Sh1,255 to Sh9,439.
Prior to this, police officers had not received a salary increase since 2020. Now, a long-serving constable earning Sh38,975 per month will see their salary rise to at least Sh40,354, while a new corporal officer will earn Sh27,879. A recently promoted sergeant officer will receive Sh38,829, up from Sh36,450, and a long-serving sergeant will see their salary increase to Sh55,049 from Sh53,570.