Police, Prison Warders, and NYS staff are expected to receive pay increments from July this year, with some in the ranks expected to receive up to Ksh18,000.
The Interior Ministry has approved the new pay structure, mainly for lower-ranking staff, as part of the major reforms in the country, which began in July 2024.
For the new pay structure, a constable at the lowest level in the National Police Service is expected to receive a top basic pay of Ksh57,700, compared to the previous Ksh38,975, marking a 48% increase. The same increase is expected for those in the Kenya Prisons Service at the same lowest rank.
For those joining the police force from training colleges, their pay is expected to increase to Ksh29,296, from the previous Ksh20,390, before July 2024.
For the National Youth Service, the lowest cadre is expected to receive between Ksh26,222 and Ksh37,912, compared to the previous range of Ksh19,800 and Ksh32,315.
At the top end of the scale, the highest-ranking police officer will receive up to Ksh345,850 per month in basic pay, up from Ksh289,090. Senior officers in the Prisons Service will receive between Ksh301,548 and Ksh584,903 per month under the new structure.
This is the final phase of the review of salaries in the disciplined forces that has been implemented incrementally in stages over the past three years. This is according to information from the ministry of interior and its associated departments. The government states that this is one of the highest increases that security officers have enjoyed since independence.
This followed a meeting of the National Steering Committee on Security Sector Reforms chaired by Internal Security PS Mr. Raymond Omollo.
The government states that it has implemented more than half of the planned reforms in the three disciplined forces: the police service, prisons service, and NYS. These are in areas such as improving operations, accountability, logistics, and human resource management.
The pay rise is expected to ease some of the financial burden on many of the officers, especially those at lower ranks of the disciplined forces.