NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 5 - The final Task Force report on police reforms handed to President Mwai Kibaki on Tuesday recommends a substantial pay increase for all police officers by July next year.

It recommends the lowest ranking officers in both the regular and Administration Police earn a basic salary of Sh18,000, up from the current Sh11,000 while sergeants will be paid Sh26,000 up from Sh19,000.

If implemented, Police Inspectors who currently earn Sh23,000 will take home Sh48,000. This amount excludes other benefits like house and hardship allowances among others.

The highest paid police officer who is to be called Inspector General of police will earn Sh269,000 from the current Sh127,000 basic salary for the holder of that office.

The report seen by Capital News advises President Kibaki to put in place structures that will ensure the salary increment is implemented within a period of two years, from the day it was handed over.

Sources at Harambee House told Capital News “there is immense political will to implement much of the recommendations in the report” which was prepared by a team led by Justice (Rtd) Philip Ransley.

It is estimated the salary adjustments would cost the government a whooping Sh18.9 billion annually.

The Task Force report cites low morale amongst the low enforcement officers and the harsh economic conditions both locally and internationally as some of the major reasons to justify the pay increase.

It calls for an accelerated plan to ensure all officers are housed within police stations or in houses not very far from their places of work, for purposes of efficiency and effectiveness in tackling crime.

Another major recommendation in the voluminous report is the controversial proposal to have all police officers holding ranks of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and Assistant Commandants respectively be subjected to a stringent review by the Public Service Commission.

It states that most of the officers holding such high ranks do not deserve them, as most of them were hurriedly promoted without following the due process and regulations governing promotions as set out in the Force Standing Orders of both security forces.

The report calls for the change of the Kenya Police Force into a Police Service which will be headed by an Inspector General, with a deputy and assistants to be deployed to the General Service Unit (GSU) and Kenya Police Training College in Kiganjo.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) which it recommends be transformed into a Directorate of Investigations, will also be headed by an Assistant Inspector General.

Currently, the CID is headed by Gatiba Karanja, a Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Justice (Rtd) Ransley recommends the AP to be headed by a Commandant General of Administration Police Service.