- Joint Secretaries will be drawn from the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration State Department for Public Service.
- The team will operate from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration headquarters at Harambee House, Nairobi.
Image: MINA
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki has appointed a team that will oversee implementation of the police reforms proposed by the David Maraga-led taskforce.
The National Steering Committee will be chaired by the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration Dr Raymond Omollo.
It includes Principal Secretaries from the National Treasury, State Department for Correctional Services, State Department for Public Service and Cabinet Affairs.
Joint Secretaries will be drawn from the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration State Department for Public Service.
“It is notified for general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration has appointed the National Steering Committee to oversee the implementation of reforms in the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service,” Kindiki said in a gazette notice dated September 13, 2024.
The CS said the team will remain in office for three years effective the date of the publication of the gazette notice.
Additional members of the committee include the Solicitor General, Inspector General of Police, commissioner generals of the Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service, as well as the chairpersons of the National Youth Service Commission and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa).
Representatives from the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Public Service Commission, Salaries and Remuneration Commission, National Youth Service Council, and the Kenya Law Reform Commission also form part of the steering committee.
The team will operate from the Ministry of Interior and National Administration headquarters at Harambee House, Nairobi.
“In the performance of its functions, the National Steering Committee shall regulate its own procedures and hold such number of meetings in such places and at such times as the committee will consider necessary for the proper discharge of its functions,” Kindiki said.
He added that PS Omollo and his team may create sub-committees for the efficient discharge of the committee’s functions.
Terms of Reference of the National Steering Committee
The committee has been mandated to co-ordinate, supervise and provide technical guidance and facilitation for the implementation of the reforms and adopt a roadmap and strategic framework for implementation.
The team has also been tasked with overseeing the technical committees and technical working groups appointed to undertake implementation of the reforms and to review and approve recommendations by the technical committees and technical working groups.
PS Omollo will also steer the team to facilitate timely funding to support the implementation of reforms and to oversee the implementation of a communication strategy, change management and capacity building during the implementation of the reforms.
The committee is also expected to ensure that the reform implementation process is co-ordinated with other relevant government, development partners and private sector interventions by overseeing the implementation of a clear stakeholders engagement strategy.
The team is also tasked with reviewing and prioritising recommendations contained in the national taskforce report on improvement of the terms and conditions of service for officers drawn from the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service for immediate implementation.
They are also supposed to provide technical guidance and facilitation in the implementation of the reforms and ensure that such implementation is consistent with government policy objectives and mobilise resources from national and international sources for implementation of the reforms.
President William Ruto formed the National Taskforce on Police Reformson December 21, 2022, to identify the legal, policy, administrative, institutional and operational constraints on the effective service delivery across the three police services.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga presented the full report of the taskforce to the President on November 16, 2023, at State House, Nairobi.
The team made several recommendations aimed at enhancing the working conditions of officers in the National Police Service, Prisons Service and the National Youth Service.
President William Ruto directed the immediate implementation of its recommendations beginning with alignment of the terms and conditions of service for police officers with other security organs.
Review the officers' pay, living conditions, medical cover, housing and other aspects of welfare for police officers were other areas the President wanted prioritised.
"These are commitments that must not wait one day longer than is absolutely necessary," the President said.