- NPSC deducted at least Sh30,000 from each of the affected officers.
- The group plans to move to court to challenge the move saying they were not informed in time.
Image: NPS
Serving junior graduate police have until Monday to submit their testimonials for action.
Inspector General of police Hilary Mutyambai has demanded that the officers usually known as 'other ranks' submit the documents for action.
This follows a standoff in the service after the police authorities deducted the pay of graduate police constables in a move that has seen some of them receive either nil salaries or less than what they have been earning.
As a result of the latest decision by the National Police Service Commission, officers were surprised to find their payslips reading either negative pay or less than Sh1,000, as the authorities moved to recover the house allowance it said officers have been earning illegally.
Officers were being paid a salary equivalent to what inspectors are paid, though they were not entitled to the same allowance.
However, NPSC cancelled the payment and as a result most officers’ deductions exceeded the earnings, leaving a nil net pay.
This prompted a protest from the more than 1,000 officers who termed the move illegal.
In an internal circular dated November 26, all junior graduates were asked to submit their documents.
“Urgently submit a list of graduate officers of other ranks from your respective command… your replies to reach this headquarters in excel format by November 29 at noon without fail,” said part of the memo.
The affected group has protested and plans to move to court to challenge the move.
They said it is not the first time police authorities are asking for the documents.
They are supposed to state their service number, rank, name, county or formation, highest education, other courses attended and KCSE grade.
NPSC chief executive Joseph Onyango confirmed the reversal of the pay, saying the matter had been subject to several discussions in the past and even ended in court leading to protracted court battles between the two parties.
“We were following a court order. The court said there was no rank like Graduate Constable and the circular that allowed the officers such a salary was no longer valid thus the salaries paid were illegal,” he said.
The affected officers say the law requires an employer to engage employees in cases that would warrant downgrading of salaries.
Following the formulation and approval of the career progression guidelines, 2016 the commission downgraded salaries of graduate Police Constables, who were being paid salaries of Job group J equivalent to the rank of Inspector.
However, in March 2018, the court ruled in favour of the officers. The commission did not challenge the ruling but instead reinstated the salaries.
An Inspector earns a basic salary of Sh57,300, this includes officers who graduated before 2016 while non-graduate in job group ‘F’ earn a basic of Sh31,000. They also enjoy a monthly house allowance of Sh24,950 while those in the Constable rank earn Sh14,300.
The group also gets risk allowances of Sh11,000 while the Constables in job group F get Sh9,000 monthly.
Inspectors and Constables also earn a flat rate of Sh4,000 as commuter allowance.
The officers said the 2021/22 Financial Budget had been passed by Parliament and that their salaries were part and parcel of the same.
NPSC, however, said the service currently has about 4,000 graduates, who were yet to be promoted to the rank, adding that the service could only allow a certain number of Inspectors at any given period, commonly referred to as the establishment.
Edited by CM