President William Ruto on Monday, December 12, promised to revamp the police sector by forming a task force to review their terms of service before the end of the year.
While addressing the crowd during the Jamhuri Day celebrations, the President commended the entire police service for enhancing the country's general security.
He also affirmed that his government was on track to execute the necessary instruments in a bid to actualize the financial independence of the National Police Service.
"Before the end of the year, I will be appointing a task force to review the terms of the police service," the President declared in line with his promise during his inauguration speech in September to institute police reforms.
According to Ruto, the operational independence of the police is necessary for its efficiency, professionalism, and accountability.
Furthermore, the Head of State pointed out that he successfully reoriented all policing operations toward more humane approaches to dealing with crime.
Ruto indicated that the police have now moved away from 'heavy and illegitimate reliance on illegal and extra-judicial interventions.'
The President noted that the illegitimate reliance on illegal and extra-judicial interventions often entailed highly intolerable violations such as abduction, torture, disappearance, and murder.
He exuded optimism towards achieving a higher level of security for every Kenyan while at the same time observing their human rights as well as freedoms with the new approaches to policing.
During his inauguration, Ruto promised to make the office of the Inspector-General of Police independent by transferring the budget from the Office of the President and designating the police boss as the accounting officer.
He added that this would aid in the financial autonomy of the police service.
Since the president took over, there have been significant changes in the uniformed force including the disbandment of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations' Special Unit.
