Kenya Police given Sh8.1b to lease vehicles ahead of elections

An armed policeman keeps watch outside the Treasury before the Cabinet Secretary went to deliver the budget statement.

NAIROBI: The Government has allocated Sh54.6 billion to boost security operations in the country during the 2017-2018 financial year.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich yesterday said Sh8.1 billion would be set aside for the leasing of police vehicles, Sh24.8 billion for police and military modernisation and Sh12 billion for enhanced security operations in a bid to sustain police mobility and security operations.

Mr Rotich said the Government had leased more than 3,000 police vehicles in the past four years.

To enhance the capacity of police service investigations, the Government has set aside Sh900 million for the construction and equipping of the national forensic laboratory, and Sh2 billion for border security.

Treasury will also inject Sh5.1 billion towards medical cover for police and prison officers, and Sh1.7 billion for group and life insurance for the police service.

He said crime had dropped drastically in all parts of the country.

The CS said between 2014 and 2016 in Nairobi alone, cases of robbery dropped by 32 per cent, motor vehicle thefts by 43 per cent and offences targeting individuals, such as muggings, by 27 per cent.

Treasury has set Sh124 billion aside for defence and the National Intelligence Service, the latter to be able to expand operations as the country heads to the elections.