PS Omollo: Final phase of police, prisons and NYS pay rise to take effect in July

By Citizen Reporter March 04, 2026 08:20 (EAT)

PS Omollo: Final phase of police, prisons and NYS pay rise to take effect in July

Interior PS Raymond Omollo speaks during the opening of the International Conference on Water, Peace and Security in Nairobi. PHOTO | MINA

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Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo has said the final phase of salary increases for officers in the National Police Service, Kenya Prisons Service and the National Youth Service will take effect in July 2026, as part of a wider reform programme in the security sector.

In a press release dated March 4, 2026, Omollo said the decision follows a meeting of the National Steering Committee on reforms in the three services, noting that the cumulative pay adjustments over three consecutive years would be the highest for officers since independence.

Under the proposed pay structure, a police constable in the highest point of the pay scale will earn up to Sh57,700, up from Sh38,975, representing a 48 per cent increase. A similar cap will apply to equivalent ranks in the Prisons Service.

Newly graduating police constables will earn a starting salary of Sh29,296, up from Sh20,390 before July 2024 — a 44 per cent rise, according to the statement.

For NYS officers in the lowest cadre, the minimum pay will be Sh26,222 and the maximum Sh37,912, up from a previous minimum of Sh19,800 and maximum of Sh32,315.

The statement said that once fully effected, the highest ranking police officer will earn a maximum monthly basic pay of Sh345,850, up from Sh289,090, representing a 20 per cent increase.

For the highest paid Prisons Service officers, the minimum will rise to Sh301,548 and the maximum to Sh584,903, up from a previous minimum of Sh292,765 and maximum of Sh576,120.

Omollo said the pay rises are part of a four-pillar transformation framework focusing on institutional capacity, operational preparedness and logistics, oversight and accountability, and human resource management and development.

The statement added that the three institutions have implemented more than 50 per cent of planned reform actions so far, with the National Police Service leading at 57.2 per cent.

In December 2022, President William Ruto formed a taskforce on police reforms chaired by former Chief Justice David Maraga, to spearhead reforms in the three services; KPS, NPS and NYS.

The taskforce recommended the reforms to take place for four years, focusing on four core areas that include leadership within the three services, oversight and accountability, institutional capacity development and human resource management, and operational preparedness and logistical capability.