Comprehensive reforms being implemented in the National Police Service are beginning to bear fruit, President William Ruto has said.
The President cited improvements in infrastructure, remuneration, training, equipment and technology.
Among the key achievements, he pointed out, is the construction of 252 police stations in the past four years.
The President spoke during the 59th Passing-Out Parade for Administration Police Recruits at the National Police College in Embakasi, Nairobi, on Friday.
Since 2022, President Ruto noted, the Government has recruited and trained 10,000 officers and provided additional professional training to more than 31,000 serving officers.
He said the National Police Service Referral Hospital at Mbagathi in Nairobi has been completed, while the Forensic Laboratory has been constructed and is being progressively equipped.
The Government, he added, has operationalised the Multi-Biometric Identification System and introduced police hire services through e-Citizen, while work is continuing on the National Police Service Information Management System, including the Digital Occurrence Book.
President Ruto said the reforms are transforming the service into a more professional, properly equipped, technologically capable and accountable institution.
Present at the event were Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja and National Assembly Administration and Internal Security Committee Chairman Gabriel Tongoyo, among other dignitaries.
President Ruto said the recently unveiled General Duty police uniform is also part of the wider reform programme aimed at strengthening professional identity, operational suitability and the dignity of police officers.
The Government has also completed a three-phase salary review that increased the entry-level basic salary of a police constable by 36 per cent.
Other measures include expansion of police housing, strengthening healthcare through the Usalama Cover, and improvement in mobility and protective equipment.
President Ruto, however, said the success of the reforms would ultimately be determined by how police officers exercised the authority entrusted to them.
“Reform is not measured by what an institution owns, but by how it serves,” he said.
“The true measure of progress is whether citizens feel safer, heard and protected when they encounter the police.”
The President described the Administration Police Service as a critical component of Kenya’s national security architecture, particularly in areas where difficult terrain and complex security threats require specialised capabilities.
AP officers, he said, play a key role in securing borders, protecting critical installations and strategic assets, and combating banditry, terrorism, livestock theft and organised crime.
Beyond security operations, he said, the officers work closely with communities to prevent conflict, resolve disputes and promote peaceful coexistence.
“This makes a combination of operational strength, restraint and community partnership essential to your work,” he told the officers.
The President said the Police Service is open to a fair public scrutiny.
“Accountability is a constitutional obligation,” he said, stressing that every decision and every shilling spent on police reforms should withstand public scrutiny.
He said honest scrutiny based on facts, evidence and truth strengthens institutions, protects public resources and serves the public interest.
President Ruto challenged the newly trained Administration Police officers to uphold integrity, respect human rights and exercise State authority with restraint as they begin their service to the country.
He said the character of security officers was as important as the strength of the institutions and capabilities placed at their disposal.
The nine months of rigorous training they had completed, he said, marked the transition from preparation to duty and the “assumption of a solemn national responsibility”.
He reminded the graduates that their authority ultimately derives from the Constitution and belongs to the people.
The officers, he said, would be entrusted with preserving peace, enforcing the law and protecting the rights and dignity of every Kenyan.
“Your uniform is a symbol of public trust, not a licence to intimidate,” President Ruto said. “Every Kenyan you encounter deserves to be treated with dignity, fairness and respect.”
He further reminded the officers that their authority does not come from their rank, weapons or uniforms, but from the Constitution and, ultimately, from the people of Kenya.
He urged them to exercise that authority strictly in the public interest and uphold professionalism, discipline, transparency, accountability and respect for human rights.
The President also stressed the importance of protecting constitutional freedoms, including freedom of expression, association, assembly, demonstration and political participation.
He said effective policing should be judged by whether officers respond when called, apply the law fairly, reject corruption, protect vulnerable people, respect human dignity and treat all Kenyans equally before the law.
President Ruto urged the officers to build public confidence through their conduct, noting that their integrity would often be tested in situations where no commander is watching and no commendation is guaranteed.
“Integrity is what you do when no one is watching and when no reward is promised,” he said.
He challenged them to remember their oath of office, training and responsibility to the Republic whenever they faced difficult choices.
“Serve with courage, but never without restraint; exercise authority, but never without accountability; and enforce the law, but never without humanity,” he told the graduating officers.
Earlier, President Ruto received the national flag from the Kenyan contingent that served in Haiti under the Multinational Security Support Mission.
Kenya concluded its role in the mission in April 2026 following the transition of security operations in Haiti to the Gang Suppression Force approved by the United Nations Security Council.
The President paid tribute to the Kenyan officers for their courage and professionalism in one of the world’s most challenging security environments.
“Our officers who served in Haiti demonstrated extraordinary courage, discipline, professionalism and patriotism,” he said.
He said the officers had stood firm in the face of grave danger, helping restore stability and protect communities in a country ravaged by gang violence and insecurity.
President Ruto also laid a wreath in honour of police officers who had died in the line of duty.
“These gallant men and women made the ultimate sacrifice, serving our nation with courage, discipline and patriotism,” he said.
On his part, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen noted that the reforms being implemented in the National Police Service are yielding results and assured officers that the Government would continue providing the necessary support, particularly in addressing their welfare and mental health.
The Interior CS expressed concern over cases of suicide and serious crimes involving police officers, saying the Government would strengthen mental health support and other welfare interventions within the service.
The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said the National Police Service is implementing far-reaching reforms, including the adoption of people-centred policing aimed at strengthening relations between officers and the communities they serve.
