Constables and lower-cadre officers remain biggest beneficiaries as three-year reform programme nears completion
National Police Service officers serving in the lowest cadre will see their maximum pay settle at Ksh 57,700 when the third and final phase of salary increases takes effect this July—marking the conclusion of the most substantial remuneration overhaul for security officers since independence.
The adjustment represents a 48 per cent increase from the previous maximum of Ksh 38,975 for constables, with equivalent officers in the Kenya Prisons Service receiving similar enhancements under the structured reform programme now entering its final implementation stage.
Fresh constables graduating from police training colleges will commence their careers with a starting salary of Ksh 29,296, a 44 per cent rise from the Ksh 20,390 their colleagues earned before July 2024. National Youth Service officers at the lowest cadre will earn between Ksh 26,222 and Ksh 37,912, improved from the previous range of Ksh 19,800 to Ksh 32,315.
Senior ranks also benefit
The highest-ranking police officers will see their monthly basic pay reach a maximum of Ksh 345,850, up from Ksh 289,090—a 20 per cent increase. In the prisons service, top officers will now earn between Ksh 301,548 and Ksh 584,903, compared to the previous Ksh 292,765 to Ksh 576,120 range, with comparable adjustments applied to their NYS counterparts.
The phased implementation began in July 2024 following a government announcement extending the raises to all three services. According to the National Steering Committee on reforms, chaired by Principal Secretary for Internal Security Dr. Raymond Omollo, this final phase represents the highest cumulative pay increases for officers over three consecutive years since independence.
Reform progress
Beyond remuneration, the transformation agenda spans institutional capacity development, operational preparedness, oversight mechanisms, and human resource management. The National Police Service has achieved 57.2 per cent implementation of planned reforms, with the prisons service and NYS recording comparable progress.
The committee noted that more than half of all planned reform actions across the three institutions have now been effected, demonstrating sustained momentum in the security sector modernisation drive.
Officers from all services have been receiving the increased pay in phases since July 2024, with the forthcoming July 2026 adjustments completing the three-year cycle. Lower-ranking officers remain the primary beneficiaries of the presidential directive, according to the committee’s findings.
