Bounty for police as employer raises pay

Police officers during Madaraka Day celebrations at Tononoka grounds in Mombasa. [File, Standard] Police officers have a reason to smile after their salaries were increased. The National Service Police Commission (NSPC) Thursday announced that officers in the lower ranks will get a salary increase of up to Sh4,000. Senior Assistant Inspectors General (SAIG) will receive a pay rise of up to Sh21,000, while those in this category who have served for long will get a raise of up to Sh98,000. Eliud Kinuthia, chairperson of the NSPC, disclosed on Thursday that the basic salary for police constables, entry level, has risen from Sh21,645 to Sh25,645. In addition, a total of 1,957 officers, including 87 women, have been promoted to motivate them as they approach retirement. Kinuthia stated that these changes are part of a broader initiative stemming from the recommendations made by the David Maraga-led taskforce. The taskforce was established to audit the welfare of police officers. He also confirmed long-serving constables will also get a raise. The minimum gross monthly salary will now be Sh50,145, with potential earnings of up to Sh69,640 when allowances are included. Kinuthia further noted that the commission provides annual incremental notches to police officers across different ranks. The NSPC salary structure allows for yearly increases, enabling officers to progress through 20 salary notches during their careers. "Officers start at notch one, which is Sh21,645, and move to notch two in the following year. An officer may serve in that rank for up to 20 years if a promotion does not occur," he explained. Senior officers also have a reson to smile. The basic entry-level salary for Senior Assistant Inspectors General (SAIG) will increase from Sh200,889 to Sh221,915, marking an increase of Sh21,026. Long-serving SAIGs will see their gross monthly salaries rise from Sh310,725 to a maximum of Sh409,365. The SAIG rank is just below the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the police hierarchy. Kinuthia also confirmed that all police officers deployed to Haiti for peacekeeping missions have received their full salaries and allowances. "The commission wishes to confirm that the accounting officer for the National Police Service has ensured that officers serving within the country, as well as those deployed for peacekeeping missions, such as in Haiti, have received their equivalent salaries," he stated. This follows concerns about delays, which had been attributed to currency issues. Kinuthia assured that these matters have been resolved, and both officers and their families are content with the payments. On the issue of career stagnation, Kinuthia acknowledged that some long-serving constables had been stuck in the same rank due to a lack of promotions. "The commission noted that there are police officers who have remained in the rank of constable for over 30 years despite clean disciplinary records, which indicates they have stagnated through no fault of their own," Kinuthia said. In response, the NSPC has promoted officers aged between 53 and 59 who have maintained good disciplinary records. Regarding promotions, Kinuthia said they have recommended promotions for 1,189 officers across various ranks, including Chief Inspectors, Inspectors, Senior Sergeants, Sergeants, Corporals, and Constables. The Chief Inspector of Police has been tasked with overseeing these promotions to address command gaps and adapt to the evolving needs of the police force. However, the NSPC has decided to temporarily suspend all merit-based promotions recently approved by Acting Inspector General Gilbert Masengeli. This move aims at stabilising the command structure and addresses concerns of favouritism. Kinuthia asked Masengeli to halt these promotions until a substantive Inspector General is appointed, which is expected to ensure a more transparent and stable promotion process. "We have urged the Acting Inspector General to temporarily halt merit-based promotions while we await the appointment of a substantive Inspector General," Kinuthia stated. Regarding allegations of favouritism in promotions, Kinuthia denied any bias, insisting that promotions are based strictly on merit. He emphasised that the NSPC has not found evidence to support claims of favouritism. Kinuthia also confirmed that issues related to the hiring of 51 civilian staff have been resolved. "I want to assure you that changes have been made, and we now have new commanders who are following the law. The issue of the 51 civilian officers has been resolved, and all 51 have reported to work. A further 1,046 civilian staff are expected to report soon," he stated.

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