New police uniform to have officer’s name, service number
The National Police Service (NPS) has yet again unveiled a new set of police uniforms that will be adopted by Kenya police officers going forward.
The new uniform will have the police officers’ names and their numbers embroidered on them.
Female officers will have both trousers and skirts.
The National Police Service team said Defence Cabinet Secretary Adan Duale is in consultation with his Interior and National Administration counterpart Kithure Kindiki to propose to the parliament for the establishment of a committee to deal with police uniforms; that is, National Uniforms Committee.
The committee will comprise representatives from the discipline forces and the security service and their mandate will be to determine the uniform colour, standard, and quality of the uniforms for each service unit.
“This recommendation flows from the numerous complaints voiced on the quality and supply of uniforms to the members of the three services.” They said.
The unveiling comes a month after the police reforms task force led by former Chief Justice David Maraga recommended in their report last month that the police officers should revert to the old uniform.
“As regards the NPS uniforms, in line with the overwhelming views of the public, police officers themselves, and the leadership of NPS, the taskforce recommends that the NPS reverts to its old uniform for three years, during which a process of designing a new uniform should be commenced by the recommendations in this Report.” Part of the report by the Maraga task force stated.
In 2018, the authorities changed the former uniform which had been used for decades to the current blue one.
The move is set to cost millions.
The task force also recommended that the committee for uniforms should address the misuse of police uniforms by members of the public.
The new uniform was first unveiled in February this year when Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome donned it.
The new police uniform was a campaign issue that the current government vowed to change.
During the campaign period last year, deputy president Rigathi Gachagua said the government would revoke the new blue police uniform.
The uniforms were being wholly made in Kenya by local textiles firms based in Thika, Kitui, Nakuru, and Eldoret under a Buy Kenya, build Kenya government drive that had also significantly cut costs.
This enabled the hiring of more officers and the modernization of police equipment.
