The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has announced that it will now gazette the newly promoted senior officers.
According to the NPSC chairperson Eliud Kinuthia, the gazettement means that they will be assigned duties in senior offices, which are above the sub-county command.
This will also give them the authority to communicate on behalf of the service on issues related to their jurisdictions.
“The gazettement means these officers will be assigned higher responsibilities in the Service within or above the Subcounty Command level. The officers will be subjected to a different disciplinary process conducted by the Commission through a special disciplinary committee.
“They will also have the authority to conduct. Disciplinary processes for officers within their jurisdiction through the sub-ordinate disciplinary committees,” Kinuthia said on Thursday.
This comes even as interviews for these positions are ongoing.
According to NPSC, the interviews began on Tuesday and will run through to October 29, 2024.
At least 183 police officers who successfully completed the Higher Training Course and Senior Training Course are participating in the interviews.
These six-month promotional courses are designed to prepare officers, currently serving in the rank of Chief Inspector, for leadership roles in the Kenya Police Service, the Administration Police Service, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
“The rigorous training is conducted at the National Police Service training campuses in Kiganjo and Emali.
“The candidates will be assessed on Governance issues, financial management, communication skills, ethics, leadership and management and general police work,” the NPSC said.
The Commission will also consider other criteria including academic qualifications, and discipline, as the training alone does not guarantee one a promotion.
“In accordance with the National Police Service Commission (Promotions) Regulations, 2015, undergoing promotional training does not automatically entitle an officer to promotion. Instead, the training shall be considered alongside other requirements for the position in which promotion is desired.
“This ensures that promotions are based on a holistic evaluation of qualifications, merit, and other established criteria, not just on the completion of training.”
Since 2019, the NPSC has promoted at least 515 Chief inspectors.
Out of these, 290 were promoted in 2019, 63 in 2021, 162 in 2022. The remaining are currently undertaking interviews.