President William Ruto has announced a salary increase for officers of the Kenya Police Service and those in the Prison Service.
In the announcement made on Wednesday, July 24, during the swearing-in ceremony of the new Prisons Service Commissioner General Patrick Mwiti Arandu at State House, the president said the officers will receive their first salary increase installment this month, July.
The increase, Ruto said, is in line with his government’s commitment to improving the welfare of security officers.
“As a commitment that I made to our men in uniform, from this month, we will be living up to our commitment to enhance the salaries of our policemen, our prison officers,” Ruto said.
However, following the increase, the head of state said he and other Kenyans will have greater expectations of service delivery from the officers.
“This places greater expectations on service delivery, both from Kenyans and myself,” he added.
It is worth noting that in 2023, a task force led by former Chief Justice David Maraga recommended to Ruto an increase in police salaries by 40% over three years.
The task force was established on December 21, 2022, to, among other duties, evaluate and recommend improvements to police officers’ working and living conditions.
While swearing in Arandu, Ruto expressed confidence in his ability to lead the planned transformation of the prison service.
“The Prison Service is looking forward to your leadership as you guide the team to ensure that our correctional services are managed appropriately in the best interests of the country,” the president said.
He asked Arandu to ensure that arable land within the prison service is cultivated for food production to be supplied to the institutions and support the country.
To improve the officers’ living conditions, the president announced that the prisons and the State Department of Housing will work together to build decent housing for them.
