A salary increment for officers in the National Police Service (NPS), Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) and the National Youth Service (NYS) will take effect from July 2026, marking the final phase of pay reforms recommended by the Maraga Taskforce.

Speaking on Wednesday, March 25, Principal Secretary for Interior and National Administration Dr Raymond Omollo said the increment will be implemented at the start of the new financial year, completing a three-phase plan aimed at improving the welfare and morale of officers across the three services.

Omollo noted that the government has already implemented the second phase of the salary review and is now preparing to roll out the final phase.

“With the implementation of the final phase, we will have achieved what was originally proposed, which is a maximum of up to 40 per cent increment in the salaries and the remuneration of our officers,” he said.

The reforms stem from the Maraga Taskforce report submitted in November 2023, which proposed changes to address welfare concerns, operational inefficiencies and accountability gaps within the disciplined services.

According to Omollo, who is also the Chair of the National Steering Committee on the Implementation of Reforms in the NPS, KPS and NYS, progress in implementing the report has passed the halfway mark.

“As of today, we report notable achievement in the implementation of the report. We are at about 55 per cent in terms of implementation of those reforms,” said the PS.

The taskforce made more than 500 recommendations spanning the three services, with the bulk targeting the National Police Service. Omollo said reforms that did not require legislative changes or significant funding, particularly administrative adjustments, have already been completed.

He added that the government has moved to address staffing shortages, with 10,000 police constables currently undergoing training, while more than 3,800 recruits have recently graduated from the Kenya Prisons Service.

“This is to help bridge the gap in terms of the numbers of officers, because over time officers have left service either through retirement or natural attrition, and we are looking forward to sustaining this going forward,” he said.

Omollo said efforts are also underway to harmonise job groups across the three services with the support of the Public Service Commission and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission, in a move aimed at ensuring uniform treatment of officers.

Housing remains one of the most pressing challenges, with the government acknowledging a deficit of more than 50 per cent in institutional housing, particularly within the police service. He said more than 5,000 housing units are currently under construction across the country.

“As it is, we have more than 5,000 housing units under construction across the country, and we are looking forward to working closely with the State Department for Housing so that we can hasten the process and ensure our officers have decent accommodation,” he said.

Omollo also said the government is pushing for legislative and policy reforms to support the transformation agenda, with several bills currently at the public participation stage or awaiting tabling in Parliament. These include proposals to strengthen forensic evidence management and enhance the use of technology in policing.

He cited ongoing discussions on the adoption of body cameras, installation of CCTV systems in police stations and expansion of surveillance infrastructure as part of efforts to modernise law enforcement.

“We need to better capture the evidence that we take to court, but also make it easier for our officers to perform their work,” he said.