Uhuru to preside over pass out parade of AP recruits

Some 3,985 fresh officers are scheduled to graduate from the Administration Police training college in Embakasi, Nairobi.

The pass out will be presided by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The fresh officers are a big boost to law enforcement at a time demand for policing has escalated ahead of the August 8, General election.

Once the officers take the oath of allegiance and are formally inducted into the National Police Service, Kenya will have an estimated 100,000 serving police officers, the highest number in history.

TRAINING

The new officers who have undergone a nine-month training will be awarded diplomas in law enforcement.

They will join the service in the rank of constables.

Another 6,000 general duty and General Service Unit officers graduated from their respective training colleges two weeks ago.

President Kenyatta, in his State of the Nation address on Wednesday said new enlistment had reduced the police to population ration from 1:800 to 1:380.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

The United Nations recommends that there should be one police officer for every 450 citizens to guarantee effective law enforcement.

“I am pleased to report that we have kept our promise. Our ratio of police to the population is 1 officer for 380 citizens, better than the prescribed UN ratio of 1 officer for every 450 citizens,” the president noted.

President Kenyatta added that the ratio stood at 1 officer for every 800 citizens before he took office.

SPECIAL OFFICERS

But even with the increased numbers, there are no enough officers to cover the entire country during the General Election.

Inspector General of police Joseph Boinnet will have to gazette special officers in order to meet the demand of the election.

In the past the police boss gazette special officers from the ranks of other disciplined services including the Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenya Prisons, Kenya forestry Service as well as the National Youth Service.