Police officers are set to benefit from an expansion of transport options, with the likelihood of transitioning to electric vehicles soon, as part of a raft of new government reforms.
President William Ruto announced this on Tuesday, 2 December, during the presentation of the Jukwaa la Usalama report at State House, Nairobi, where he addressed long-standing complaints from officers about fuel shortages that have hindered police operations.
According to Ruto, the government will purchase 3,000 police vehicles to improve efficiency, up from the planned 1,200 units.
“We currently have a budget for 1,200 vehicles, but we aim to buy 3,000 police vehicles to improve mobility,” the President announced.
“We will also determine how the cars are always fuelled so officers can carry out their duties without interruption.”
Officers have previously raised concerns over the reliance on petrol-powered vehicles despite the initial success of the Motor Leasing programme.
According to the report filed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, the current allocation of 450 litres of fuel per motor vehicle per month by the National Treasury has proven to be insufficient both in the far-flung rural areas and town settings owing to the extensive operational nature and excessive workload, respectively.
Another challenge presented was the constant delays during repairs and servicing, which has hampered police movement.
In a bid to resolve these challenges, Ruto announced plans to introduce electric motor vehicles to the police fleet.
Ruto added, “We now have electric vehicles, and we will go back to electric so that in the evening an officer just charges his vehicle and gets on with work."
Other police reforms
Besides police vehicles, Ruto also revealed plans from the government to construct 900 police stations in the next two years.
This, according to the Head of State, will be achieved through utilising the NG-CDF to construct 300 stations. A further 300 stations would be facilitated using the government's housing program, while another 300 will be constructed through the Interior Ministry.
In addition, all police officers are set to for promoted by at least one rank by June 1 2026. This will include police officers who clocked the age of 50 and are still in the constable rank.
Further, Ruto also confirmed plans to digitise all police records, including OB numbers to increase efficiency. To this effect, every chief countrywide is set to receive a tablet to file reports on a digital platform.
