Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen is briefed by the outgoing National Police Service Commission on the progress of various projects in his office on March 6, 2025. /KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN/XThe term of the second National Police Service Commission has come to an end after a six-year stay in office.
The team led by chairperson Eliud Kinuthia came into office in March 2019, taking over from the inaugural commission led by Johnston Kavuludi.
The six-year term of the Kavuludi commission ended in October 2018.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen on Thursday hosted Kinuthia's team at his office, where he said he was briefed on various issues touching on its mandate.
Kinuthia was accompanied by IG Douglas Kanja, DIG Eliud Lagat (KPS), DIG Gilbert Masengeli (APS), DCI Mohammed Amin, Secretary Administration/Accounting Officer NPS Bernice Lemedeket, NPSC vice chairperson Dr Alice Otwala, CEO Peter Leley, and other commissioners.
"They briefed me on the progress of various projects the commission is undertaking. The commission has done a commendable job in implementing the recommendations of the Maraga Taskforce, particularly on the review of salaries of police officers and promotions," Murkomen said.
The taskforce was directed by President William Ruto to review the operations within the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service.
Areas of concern included identifying legal, policy, administrative, institutional, and operational constraints that were obstructing effective service delivery by the NPS, the KPS and the NYS and to review the welfare and the terms and conditions of service for members of the three services.
During the team's meeting with Murkomen, the CS said the commission apprised him on the progress made regarding the piloting of the automation of police recruitment to enhance accountability, transparency, and efficiency.
"We discussed areas of improvement to the system to seal all possible loopholes for corruption," Murkomen said.
In its report submitted to the President on November 16, 2023, at State House, Nairobi, the Maraga team established that the NPS, KPS and NYS are bedeviled with a myriad of challenges, key among them being endemic corruption.
The taskforce also said the three services were underfunded and were grappling with poor handling of human resources and development and other structural challenges.
"Despite institutional policies and strategies specifically targeted at addressing corruption in the NPS, most police jobs are sold to those who can afford or only offered to relatives of the powerful and politically connected," the Maraga team said.
The taskforce said the traffic Department of NPS came up for special mention in literally all public hearings held across all 47 counties and in submissions by most stakeholders.
"Unanimously, police roadblocks were described as corruption toll stations from where the ‘loot’ collected was shared up to the highest levels in the hierarchy of police leadership," the team said.
President Ruto directed immediate implementation of the Maraga recommendations, including scrapping of road blocks and 40 per cent pay hike for officers in all three services.
