This archive report was first published on 9 July 2019.
On July 9, 2019, Kenya Police launched a major overhaul of its structure, marking a significant shift in the country's policing landscape. The reforms, announced in September 2018, aimed to enhance efficiency and accountability within the force.
As part of these reforms, 39,680 regular police officers and 24,572 Administration Police officers will be merged into a new unit, dubbed General Duty Officers. This move is expected to increase the visibility of police officers while serving civilians and enhance accountability.
According to sources at the Police headquarters, some 200 Administration Police officers in Nairobi will participate in a handing over parade at the CID Training School pavilion on Friday. The parade marks the transition of these officers to General Duty Officers.
The new uniform, introduced by President Uhuru Kenyatta in September 2018, is a key aspect of the reforms. The Persian blue uniform is designed to increase the visibility of police officers while serving civilians and enhance accountability.
Under the merger, the officers will work under a new unit named the 'General Duty Officers' which will be under the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kenya Police). The Rural Border Police Unit has been transformed into the border police unit with 6,000 officers under the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Administration).
Regional, county, and sub-county police commander posts previously assigned to respective unit commanders were merged to create a single command structure in the regions, counties, and sub-counties.
