The National Police Service Commission and the Inspector General of Police both claimed funds for hiring law enforcement officials, which caused drama in Parliament on Friday.
Internal conflicts between the two agencies were hinted at on Friday when Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome and NPSC Chief Executive Peter Lely presented rival budget lines to Members of Parliament.
Regarding how to interpret their respective mandates, the commission and the National Police Service (NPS) had been involved in numerous disputes.
Citing Article 246 of the Constitution, which gives the commission the authority to hire law enforcement, Leley begged MPs to grant the commission Sh150 million for the purpose of recruiting police officers.
According to the Constitution, the NPSC is tasked with managing the National Police Service members’ human resources.
Leley disputed NPS’s assertion regarding the hiring, arguing that the Inspector General ought to limit his responsibilities to operational duties.
Based on approximations, the agency plans to hire 10,000 constables for the police at a cost of Sh150 million.
After both presented their cases for the recruiting budget, MPs wondered who they should deal with.
Rosa Buyu, the MP for Kisumu West, questioned the committee on who should be involved in the hiring budget shared by the two institutions.
The goal of the recruitment is to close any gaps and NPS deficiencies brought on by natural attrition and exits.
The budgets as stated in the Budget Policy Statement 2024 were being defended by Koome and Lelely.
According to Koome, the El Nino disaster prevented the service from hiring during the previous fiscal year, necessitating a rerouting of the hiring budget in order to address the threat.
Additionally, he made a case for the budget deficit, pointing out that it has caused several of the industry’s most important initiatives to be stalled over time.
NPS records indicate that Sh114.29 billion, Sh122.41 billion, and Sh135.34 billion have been allotted for the fiscal years 2024–2025, 2025–2026, and 2026–2027.
This is in opposition to the corresponding resource requirements of Sh171.89 billion, Sh171.93 billion, and Sh173.48 billion.
