19 July 2011
Nairobi — Police were actively involved in their duties countrywide contrary to media reports that the officers were on a go-slow, deputy police spokesman Charles Owino Wahongo said on Tuesday.
For the last one week, disgruntled police officers, especially in Nairobi and Mombasa, are said to have been jamming their communication system, claiming they were not assured that phase two of the salary increment will be implemented this month.
Mr Wahongo dismissed this, asserting that the force attached great importance to national security and it was unimaginable that they would go on strike.
“The officers’ productivity or efficiency in their performance of duties has not been affected by the uncertainty about the increment,” said Mr Wahongo.
He said they were yet to receive the July payslips and could not confirm whether the money would be paid or not. He was optimistic that the matter would be solved.
The Treasury and the Directorate of Personnel Management are said to have agreed to implement the increment after the setting up of the Police Service Commission.
The salaries for the police officers had been increased in three phases after the government approved the recommendations.
The first phase of review was 25 per cent for those in senior ranks (PG 11-15) and 28 per cent for those in junior ranks (PG 1-10).
According to the recommendations of the National Task Force on Police Reforms, the second phase was to be implemented in July 2011 and the third in July 2012.
Some Sh5.1 billion was used last year to finance the implementation of the first phase of the review, which focused on basic salary.
AllAfrica – All the Time