Government Completes Police Salary Review as Constables, Sergeants Get New Pay

The government has completed the final phase of a three-year salary review for police officers, with constables and other ranks receiving higher basic monthly pay under the revised remuneration structure.

The adjustments, which also cover officers in the Kenya Prisons Service, conclude a phased salary review that began in July 2024 following recommendations aimed at improving the welfare and working conditions of security officers.

Under the revised structure, police constables in Pay Grade One will earn a minimum basic monthly salary of KSh 29,360, up from KSh 27,470. Corporals will receive KSh 35,580, compared to their previous minimum of KSh 33,690.

Sergeants in Pay Grade Three will now earn KSh 46,380, an increase from KSh 44,595, while senior sergeants will receive KSh 50,600, up from KSh 48,815.

Inspectors will earn a minimum basic salary of KSh 55,075, compared to KSh 53,290 previously. Chief inspectors will receive KSh 61,495, while assistant superintendents of police will earn KSh 66,565.

The new rates also raise the minimum basic salary for superintendents from KSh 74,780 to KSh 76,565. Senior superintendents will earn KSh 88,925, up from KSh 87,140, while assistant inspectors general will receive KSh 98,715, compared to the previous KSh 96,930.

The increases range from KSh 1,785 to KSh 1,890 per month, depending on an officer’s rank and pay grade.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had previously assured officers that the government would implement the final phase of the review within the current financial year.

Murkomen said the government had honoured its commitment, adding that improving the welfare of security officers remained a priority.

Apart from basic pay, police officers are entitled to allowances determined by their job grade, duty station and eligibility. These include house, commuter, housing supplementation, entertainment, extraneous duty, domestic servant and annual leave allowances.

For a constable in the first pay grade stationed in Nairobi, the monthly house allowance stands at KSh 9,500. Officers in designated Cluster Two towns receive KSh 7,000, while those stationed in other areas receive KSh 5,500.

The same constable is entitled to a commuter allowance of KSh 3,000 and a prisons allowance of KSh 7,000, according to the salary review figures. Commuter allowances rise with rank, reaching KSh 12,000 for officers in Pay Grade Ten.

The salary review followed recommendations from a task force led by former Chief Justice David Maraga, which President William Ruto established in December 2022 to examine the welfare and working conditions of officers in the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and National Youth Service.

The task force identified low pay, inadequate housing, delayed promotions and limited welfare support as challenges affecting officers. It recommended that salary adjustments be implemented in phases over three years to spread the cost of the changes.

Beyond remuneration, the recommendations addressed housing, medical care, insurance, equipment, counselling services and career progression.

The latest adjustments are intended to improve officers’ welfare and address longstanding concerns about their working conditions, with junior officers receiving particular attention because of their large numbers within the security services.

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