According to sources at the Police headquarters, some 200 Administration Police officers in Nairobi will participate in the handing over parade, at a ceremony set to be held at the CID Training School pavilion on Friday/FILE – NPS
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 9 – Over 20,000 Administration Police officers are Friday set to transit to General Duty Officers in line with police reforms announced in September 2018.
The policy framework for police restructuring would see 39,680 regular police officers and 24,572 Administration Police officers merged into a new unit in a bid enhance efficiency.
According to sources at the Police headquarters, some 200 Administration Police officers in Nairobi will participate in the handing over parade, at a ceremony set to be held at the CID Training School pavilion on Friday.
This comes exactly 10 months after President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the Persian blue uniform alongside a set of drastic police reforms, some of which have since been implemented.
It is under these changes that the regular police were merged with the Administration Police to form the General Duty Officers.
According to multiple circulars seen by Capital FM News, the Administration Police Officers will join their more than 30,000 Kenya Police counterparts, to become General Duty Officers.
“You are therefore directed to withdraw their kit minus high ankle boots, jungle belt, beret, socks, jungle trousers and any other relevant uniform accessories related to Kenya Police Service Uniform,” reads a section of a circular addressed to all regional police and formation commanders.
The AP’s will be required to surrender their old uniform upon receipt of the new ones.
Rift Valley region has the highest number of Administration Police officers set to join the Kenya Police – 6,707.
The officers will be posted to various police stations, while the fate of what used to be the AP police posts is yet to be established.
Under the new changes, the Kiganjo Police College was renamed the National Police College while the AP college was named National Police Service campus.
In the new reforms, junior police officers are enjoying house allowances after the mandatory housing in quarters was abolished in the policy framework launched by President Kenyatta in September 2018.
They can now use the allowance to acquire a private rental property but within the jurisdiction of their respective workstations.
-Why uniform was changed to Persian blue-
The National Police Service said the change in police uniform is in line with a United Nations recommendation, in a bid to increase their visibility while serving civilians and a way to enhance accountability.
The new uniform was availed on September 13 last year at the Kenya School of Government by President Kenyatta.
Under the merger, the officers will work under a new unit named the “General Duty Officers” which will be under the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kenya Police).
The Rural Border Police Unit has been transformed into the border police unit with 6,000 officers under the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Administration).
Regional, county and sub-county police commander posts previously assigned to respective unit commanders were merged to create a single command structure in the regions, counties, and sub-counties.
