The court order declaring a taskforce on police reforms unconstitutional has a far-reaching impact, Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has said.
The High Court on Thursday said President William Ruto erred in forming the 23-member taskforce in December 2022 as it duplicated the functions of the National Police Service Commission. The team was led by retired Chief Justice David Maraga and presented its report to the President.
Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo during the launch of Kasagam Police Station in Kisumu on April 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Dr Omollo said that at the time of the court ruling, the ministry was almost halfway through implementing key strategic interventions in the Maraga Task Force for the National Police Service (NPS), Kenya Prison Service (KPS) and the National Youth Service.
The PS argued that the provision of equipment, vehicles and technology, which are part of the proposals, were all aimed at improving service delivery to Kenyans.
“As a country, it is important to appreciate that police officers, just like any other Kenyan, deserve to work in a good environment and their welfare must be looked into and we must facilitate their service delivery,” he said on Friday in Kisumu.
PS Omollo explained that the NPS had implemented 47.2 percent of the reforms, while the Prisons Service and the NYS had completed 42.9 percent of the proposed changes.
The National Police Service, he said, has already rolled out a comprehensive medical scheme, which includes a mental healthcare plan for all officers and their dependents.
According to Dr Omollo, the police are also currently covered under a group life insurance policy, which provides financial protection to their families in the event of death or permanent disability.
A phased salary increment is also underway across the NPS ranks with the basic salaries for police constables rising by Sh4,000 in the last 10 years.
“Alongside this scheme, a mortgage has been developed with a raft of recommendations and a framework to allocate a fraction of affordable housing rates to NPS officers,” said PS Omollo.
The government will respect the High Court orders, he said. “We need to follow what the courts have pronounced. We will do exactly that, but stay alive to the realities we face as a country,” Dr Omollo said.
The newly constructed Kasagam Police Station in Kisumu East Sub-County, Kisumu County.
Photo credit: Pool
The PS was speaking on Friday in Kisumu during the launch of the new Kisumu East Sub-county Headquarters at Kasagam, a facility he said will improve security in the area.
He urged the officers in the station to serve the community while also working closely with locals to improve security.
He was accompanied by Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja and Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabbir among other guests.
Dr Omollo said that through the recommendations, the NPS has introduced a learning platform to provide progressive training on human rights.
Other major achievements are the development of a framework for modern and model police stations, uniform reforms, strengthening of the institutions integrity and accountability.
“These and other strategic reforms and policy frameworks are intended to enhance accountability, professionalism, service delivery and welfare of personnel across the country’s security sector,” said the PS.
The Maraga task force was tasked with addressing systemic challenges in security services and recommended reforms.
A Nakuru-based medic, Dr Magare Gikenyi, would then move to court the same year challenging president Ruto’s decision to establish the task force.
On April 10, the High Court ruling by Justice Lawrence Mugambi declared the presidential task force unconstitutional.
Interior and National Administration Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo (centre) with Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja (right) and Kisumu East MP Shakeel Shabbir on April 11, 2025 in Kisumu.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
According to the court, the president had no mandate to establish the team as his decision had usurped the role of the National Police Service Commission.
“The reforms aimed to improve salaries, housing and insurance, enhance training, and introduce modern facilities and technologies across the security landscape,” he said.
Meanwhile, the PS has also cautioned parents to monitor their children to protect them from falling prey to individuals with ill intentions. He said politicians should not be allowed to invade the spaces where schoolchildren are nurtured.
He further cautioned parents against allowing their children to be trained by people not employed by the Teachers Service Commission.
“As a country, we have the responsibility to take this important role in our own hands as parents. You must know the schools your child goes to, what they are taught, their friends and teachers. If we do not do that, we will lose the next generation who will take over from us,” he said.
