Details have emerged regarding the pay increase for police officers, which will take effect starting July 1. The information was revealed in a letter from Head of Civil Service Felix Koskei to Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo and Public Service Principal Secretary Amos Gathecha, dated July 25.
President William Ruto has confirmed that prison staff and other security personnel will receive a salary increase this month. "In line with the commitment I made to our men in uniform, we will enhance the salaries of our policemen and prison officers starting this month," Ruto announced during the swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed Prisons Service Commissioner General at State House. He added that they would receive the first installment of their salary increase this month.
In addition to the police and prisons staff, National Youth Service members are also set to receive a salary increment, affecting more than 150,000 personnel.
In his letter, Koskei stated that the proposed salary review for uniformed officers is based on recommendations from the National Taskforce on Improvement of the Terms and Conditions of Service and other reforms for the National Police Service and the Kenya Prisons Service. He noted that Ksh1.3 billion had been allocated for the police salary increase.
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"The President has been informed of various proposals regarding the implementation of the proposed review of the remuneration and benefits for the National Police Service Uniformed Officers," Koskei wrote. "The resources allocated for the salary review for the National Police Service for the fiscal year 2024/25 amount to Ksh1,317,158,649.00."
Koskei also mentioned that Ruto directed that all uniformed officers, starting from the lowest rank (constable), receive a minimum monthly salary increase of Ksh4,000. There are currently 74,000 police constables in the force. The letter highlighted the need for additional resources to implement a comprehensive review of remuneration and benefits for these officers.
The President instructed the National Treasury to coordinate with the National Police Service (NPS) and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) to ensure the necessary resources are made available for the full implementation of this directive. He also mandated that the salary increase be effective from July 1, 2024, and tasked the State Department for Public Service with working alongside the National Treasury and the National Police Service to ensure the salary increase is reflected in the July 2024 payroll.
The salary increase for police and other security personnel was a campaign promise made by Ruto. On July 24, Members of Parliament endorsed the Budget Committee's recommendation to allocate funds to support the wage increase. The committee recommended an additional Ksh3.5 billion to enhance wages for police officers.
A task force chaired by former Chief Justice David Maraga had previously recommended a 40% pay rise for police, prison, and NYS officers over three years. The National Police Service Commission began the third remuneration review cycle for staff for the years 2021-2025 last August, setting the monthly salary for a newly recruited constable at Ksh21,645. With the increase, the new salary for a new constable will be Ksh25,000.
