The Commission this afternoon defended the 2025/2026 financial year budget estimates to the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security. In submissions made by Commissioner Edwin Cheluget and CEO Peter Leley, the Commission outlined key priority areas requiring funding, including the recruitment of 10,000 police officers, automation and digital transformation of Human Resource (HR) processes, decentralization of HR and counselling services, implementation of the Maraga Taskforce recommendations, and the general Commission operations.
Vice-Chairperson of the Committee Hon. Rasso, Col (Rtd) Dido Ali sought clarification on the implementation status of the Maraga Task Force recommendations and decentralization of HR and Counselling services citing their importance in improving service delivery.
In his response, Commissioner Cheluget noted key achievements in implementing the reforms citing streamlined promotions and transfer processes including the plans for digital recruitment. He also assured the Committee that significant strides in the area of mental health and psychosocial support to address the growing concerns around mental well-being of officers.
On his part, the CEO emphasized on the online police recruitment system developed by the Commission in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation agenda on police reforms. He highlighted the Commission’s commitment to advancing the digital and creative economy agenda through the automation of HR management processes to enhance efficiency.
“This robust online recruitment module developed by the Commission will minimize human contact, reduce opportunities for manipulation and uphold the principles of transparency and meritocracy” he said.
This system, the CEO noted, will enhance the Commission’s capacity to manage recruitment processes efficiently. On the welfare of police officers, he reiterated that mental well-being and psychosocial support remain top priority, with ongoing efforts to scale up these programmes at the regional level. Additionally, he said that the Commission is implementing reforms to expand the scope and effectiveness of the medical insurance cover for officers.
The CEO also cited the operationalization of the National Police Service Hospital as critical in the next financial year to offer specialized healthcare services tailored to the unique needs of police officers.
“The Commission is in the final stages of developing a policy framework for the operationalization of the National Police Service Hospital. The Policy will define the governance, financing, staffing and service delivery mechanisms of the facility” he said.
The Commission is further in the process of reviewing the NPS Housing policy (2018) and exploring options to extend the mortgage scheme to include police officers.
The Parliamentary Committee has been engaging with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) under its purview to deliberate on their respective budget estimates.
