Team drafts guidelines to end unfair police promotions
National Police Service Commission Chairman Johnstone Kavuludi (left) and Matatu Owners Association Vice-Chairman Salim Ali Batesi address a meeting of matatu owners on June 2, 2016. The commission has said the new guidelines on police promotions will encourage officers to continue studying to gain skills and develop a career path. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Mr Johnston Kavuludi, the chairman, said the scheme of service defines the qualifications for entry into every job group and how officers move up the ladder.
- He added that due to lack of guidelines in the past, some officers depended on relatives in senior positions to influence their elevation, while others bribed their way up.
The National Police Service Commission has come up with a scheme that indicates the number of years an officer serves in a particular rank before being promoted.
Mr Johnstone Kavuludi, the chairman, said the scheme of service defines the qualifications for entry into every job group and how officers move up the ladder.
It will also encourage officers to continue studying to gain the necessary skills and develop a career path.
The guidelines will do away with the old system where some officers recruited as constables retire in the same rank.
It will also ensure that officers with high academic qualifications, who have stagnated in junior ranks with meagre pay for over 15 years, are promoted while those with unique skills are taken to their areas of specialisation.
“We have come up with the first ever scheme of service that will indicate the entry qualifications into the service and the number of years one serves in a particular job group before one moves to the next,” Mr Kavuludi said.
He added that due to lack of guidelines in the past, some officers depended on relatives in senior positions to influence their elevation, while others bribed their way up.
“It means promotions will no longer be based on the whims of individuals in senior ranks, but on clearly quantifiable qualifications and other factors that are objective. Gone are the days when patronage made an officer rise,” he pointed out.
The chairman further said the scheme had been approved by stakeholders and will be officially unveiled in less than two months.
He said the police service was lagging behind while nearly all other professions had clear schemes for the placement of their staff.
“Some officers would be best utilised in higher levels of the police service. Others have unique skills that would boost particular sections of the police service.”
The chairman noted that the ongoing vetting goes beyond scrutinising the competence and suitability of officers, as it also focuses on their certificates and other qualifications they have acquired to improve themselves.
“The police should know that one does not need to leave the service or involve in corruption to be seen to be developing. This is why the commission is emphasizing that continuous improvement and acquisition of other skills that are relevant to policing will help them grow.”
