Editor's Review
Sifuna wants the Committee to explain why the allowances were not paid.
On Thursday, October 8, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna sought a statement from the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on pending payments to new police recruits.
Sifuna stated that the recruits who graduated in recent passing-out parades had not received their allowances for the nine months when they were undergoing training.
He argued the matter was a national concern because the recruits were forced to look for alternative sources of income to sustain themselves during their deployment.
"The welfare of newly graduated police recruits is at risk due to the non-payment of their accumulated nine-month allowances. These officers were deployed without the financial support owed to them.
"Many have struggled to meet basic needs or travel to their stations, beginning service under financial strain and diminished morale," he stated.
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Sifuna wants the Committee to explain why the allowances were not paid and issue a timeline for when they will be. He also wants it to list the measures taken to safeguard the welfare of the recruits.
The Nairobi Senator further demanded a statement from the Committee regarding the welfare and fair trial rights of Kenyan nationals facing prosecution in Uganda.
He claimed that in one case, a Kenyan national was held in remand in Uganda for two years without his case proceeding to trial.
"The Committee should address the number of Kenyan nationals facing prosecution in Uganda including a breakdown of those who have been freed on bail or bond, and those currently being held in remand; the charges preferred to each of the affected Kenyans and the circumstances of their arrests, and the diplomatic arrangements in place to ensure competent legal representation, and the measured to ensure fair and expeditious trial," Sifuna stated.
Earlier, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen met with senior security officials, led by Inspector General Douglas Kanja, to take stock of the ongoing reforms and explore ways of fast-tracking them.
Murkomen and the security leadership discussed the legal and institutional framework required to operationalise County Policing Authorities and agreed on the need for a coordinated approach involving all relevant institutions.
"We remain committed to strengthening public participation in security matters, entrenching accountability and community policing, while ensuring that the implementation is undertaken within the Constitution," he stated.
