The government will modernise the National Police Service at a cost of Sh28 billion over the next two years, President William Ruto has said.

The ambitious modernisation programme will include new equipment and weapons, digitisation of police operations as well as constructing new housing units for police officers.

“I want to commit that I intend to see the process of modernisation to completion in the next two years so that we can have the equipment, vehicles and ammunition necessary to protect our country,” the President said. 

He made the remarks when he launched the National Police Service and State Department for Correctional Service Strategic plans for 2023-2027 at the Kenya School of Government, Lower Kabete, Nairobi on Friday.

So far, the President said the government has spent Sh2 billion to raise the standards within the service. 

He said 1,000 new vehicles will be acquired for the police early next year under the police leasing programme in an effort to alleviate the shortage at police stations across the country. He said plans are at an advanced stage to procure 2,000 more vehicles.

To improve police officers’ living conditions, President Ruto said 582 new housing units have been completed, while another 1,000 are at different stages of construction with an aim to build 17,000 new units for police officers.

“It is our intention to make sure that many of our policemen and women, who discharge a very sensitive responsibility of protecting all of us, work in conditions that help them discharge that responsibility,” he said. 

Generally, Ruto said Kenyans serving in the security sector including the military’s, National Youth Service will also benefit from the government’s Affordable Housing Programme.  

Ruto further mentioned projects including the deployment of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles in conflict-prone regions, operationalisation of NPS hospitals in Kanyonyoo and Mbagathi, completion of the DCI National Forensic Laboratory and establishment of the National Police Leadership Academy as some of the initiatives made to modernise police service.

Alongside the infrastructural improvements, the president noted that the government is prioritising the welfare of police officers through the implementation of 271 actionable recommendations from the Maraga Taskforce Report

“There is a team set up to ensure that every recommendation that was made in that taskforce is achieved in the timeframe which was set out,” said the president.

Some of the welfare areas include increasing salaries, improving insurance packages, working conditions, human capital development, and institutional frameworks.

Moreover, he said the government will seek the views of police officers on their preferred uniform while commending performance to keep Kenyans safe under difficult working conditions.

“I want to commend the leadership of the police and all policemen and women for what they are doing in protecting citizens, their lives and property,” he said.

As part of the Maraga Taskforce Report, president Ruto said construction of 28,000 housing units for Kenya Prison Service will commence immediately.

Additionally, he said the prison service will begin leasing 3,000 acres of its arable land lying idle in many of the prisons.

“This will increase food production and thus enable the service to wean itself off of total dependence on the Exchequer,” said the president.

To further improve transport and service provision, the State Department for Correctional Services will begin a vehicle leasing programme for the Kenya Prison Service fleet.

However, President Ruto noted that Kenyans expect police officers to shed old habits such as extrajudicial killings and corruption that have tainted the reputation of the service.

“We must end the culture of extortion, bribery, and many other forms of corruption, which have inflicted a devastating stain on the credibility of the service,” he added.

Additionally, the president said the government will continue the digitisation of police operations to bring them to international standards. 

“A modern police service and technology is key to this. We must ensure we digitise operations, including the famous OB (Occurrence Book) so that entries on the OB is not compromised by anybody,” he said.

Ruto said integration of ICT into surveillance, investigations and crime deterrence through use of drones for border security, cybersecurity capabilities will enhance tackling offences and security threats are enabled by digital technology.

“In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape and the ability to detect, disrupt, deter, and investigate these threats depends on our capacity to operate effectively in a high-tech environment. We are taking decisive action to ensure the NPS stays ahead of emerging threats,” said the president.

Ruto further emphasised on the need to strengthen oversight bodies, such as the Internal Affairs Unit, and working with agencies like the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, and the Commission for Administrative Justice to fight corruption, protect human rights, and build public trust.

Present at the function were Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, United Kingdom High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan, Principal Secretaries Raymond Omollo, Salome Beacco and Julius Bitok, and Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, among others.

Mudavadi said the two strategic plans align with the Kenya Kwanza Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda and Kenya Vision 2030.

He also urged the police leadership to bolster people-centeredness approach in executing their mandate.

“Constructive engagement with citizens is necessary to resolve emerging conflicts in the delivery of police and correctional services. We must seek to promote trust and understanding that will ensure the security of the citizens,” said Mudavadi.

Kanja said in the new five-year plan, NPS has prioritised training, mental health and fighting corruption to build on the successes made and the lessons learned from the implementation of the 2018-2022 plan.