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At least 42,500 officers, almost half of the police population, have been affected by the changes being implemented.
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Some copies of the notice from respective commanders to subcounty police commanders show that the affected officers are expected to report to their new stations in the next two weeks.
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Police commanders across the counties have commenced executing the new transfer policy directive per the instructions of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure.
Officers who have stayed in one station for three years have been moved in the deployments which took effect from Wednesday.
At least 42,500 officers, almost half of the police population, have been affected by the changes being implemented.
Some copies of the notice from respective commanders to subcounty police commanders show that the affected officers are expected to report to their new stations in the next two weeks.
“Release the officers to report to their new commands on or before April 2, submit a casualty return (report) on departure and arrival,” reads the notice.
The Deputy Inspector General of the police approved the deployments.
In Bomet, for instance, eight officers in the ranks of constables and corporals have swapped places with those from stations in Garissa, Wajir and Lamu.
While presiding over an event in Ol Kalou, Nyandarua last week, Kindiki warned against complacency, noting such behaviour could undermine the effectiveness of the security apparatus.
He also vowed to enforce the transfer directive without exceptions.
In October last year, Kindiki told the Senate that the National Police Service had been given two months to facilitate the transfers.
The CS also warned that officers who would not move would not receive their salaries, adding that the NPS was notified of the guidelines in September.
The power to transfer officers is exclusively vested in the National Police Service Commission.
The Inspector General of Police is mandated by NPSC regulations to ensure that all transferred officers are adequately facilitated and afforded adequate time to report to their new stations.
The regulations provide for adequate notice for a transfer, and proper timing of the month and year to allow for payment of allowances and other preparations for the officer.
As a requirement, payment of transfer allowance is made before the transferred officer moves to the new station.
As per the regulations, however, an officer who applies for transfer on whatever grounds is not eligible for a transfer allowance.
The regulations also provide that junior officers transferred to hardship areas at the management’s discretion ought to be issued with necessary clothing and equipment at the point of transfer and paid hardship allowance as per the Service Standing Orders.
The recent Taskforce on police reforms chaired by former Chief Justice David Maraga, however, observed that this is rarely observed in practice.
Upon appointment into the service, all ranks except the IG, the DIGs, and the Director of Criminal Investigations, may from time to time be transferred from one station to another as the Commission may determine.
However, the SSOs and regulations are clear that neither transfer nor deployment shall be used as a disciplinary sanction or as a reward.