In a report submitted to the National Assembly, the Budget and Appropriations Committee (BAC), led by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, criticised the National Police Service for not recruiting new officers in the past three years.
The committee, which also includes MPs such as Millie Odhiambo and Lesuuda Naisula, pointed to the urgency of recruiting over 10,000 new officers to fill gaps left by those who have exited the force and to improve the police-to-population ratio.
The report, part of the Supplementary Budget II 2023/24, was presented on Wednesday, June 5, and directed the Ministry of Interior, under Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, to expedite the recruitment process.
To facilitate the recruitment, the Budget Committee allocated Ksh3.2 billion for trainee allowances, police equipment, food rations, and uniforms. This allocation falls short of the required Ksh5.03 billion, despite national security being among the sectors receiving the highest budgetary allocations.
The last nationwide recruitment for police officers occurred in March 2022, while prison officers were last recruited in April 2023.
"The Committee established that the National Police Service had not recruited police officers over the last three years, and there was a growing need to recruit over 10,000 officers not only to replace those who had left the Service through natural attrition but also to boost the police-to-human population ratio," the report stated.
According to the Kenya Economic Survey 2023, there were 109,857 police officers in Kenya in 2022, serving an estimated population of 50.6 million people.
This equates to one police officer for every 461 Kenyans. This ratio, the committee argued, is insufficient to maintain public safety and order.
The National Police Service had initially planned to recruit last year, but the recruitment was postponed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki. Despite widespread speculation about the recruitment timeline, the NPS has yet to announce a specific date.
Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome, in his presentation of the 2023/2024 financial year budget to the National Assembly last year, announced a target to recruit 5,000 officers.
Although the recruitment was slated for April 2023, financial constraints led to another postponement. The Treasury proposed delaying the recruitment to April 2024, a suggestion met with strong opposition from the police boss, necessitating intervention from Kindiki.
