More to join force amid housing crisis

By Cyrus Ombati

Nairobi, Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta is tomorrow set to preside over a graduation ceremony of another group of police recruits to increase to more than 7,000 the number of officers who have been deployed recently.

The President will be the chief guest at the event at which 1,780 General Service Unit personnel will graduate at their college in Embakasi.

This will be after the officers went through a 15-month training course. In the last two weeks, President Kenyatta has attended the pass out parades for regular police at Kiganjo and administration police at the Administration Police Training College where more recruits graduated.

The new group will boost police population by almost ten per cent. Last week, Uhuru said 10,000 extra police officers would be recruited in the next one year. The recruitment is set to be conducted by October.

The Cabinet, he said, had also approved more funding for the security sector, which would be better equipped.

But even as the State rushes to increase the police population, reports say the officers are facing the challenge of accommodation. Those who have already been released to various stations have to share rooms and some are spending the night in makeshifts structures.

The Standard has also learnt that officers also lack vehicles to enhance their movements. Further, they have no air capacity after all their choppers were grounded in the last three months due to lack of enough funds to purchase new ones and maintain the ones they already own.

Unit audited

Police had placed the tenders for the overhaul of the Russian-made MI-17 helicopters and also for the purchase of another helicopter.

“They were forwarded to the Ministerial Tender Committee at the Office of the President but nothing has happened several weeks later,” said a senior officer aware of the situation.

An audit revealed that the unit is understaffed and most staff lack motivation.

The President said he was aware of the situation and efforts to address the menace are ongoing.