Audit reveals 200,000 police officer shortfall amid rising security demands
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) confirms the trend, showing the number of police officers dropping from 92,350 in 2023 to 88,483 in 2024.
Kenya’s National Police Service (NPS) is grappling with a severe shortage of officers, leaving security operations stretched across towns and rural areas alike.
A recent audit by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission reveals that more than 200,000 police positions remain unfilled, largely due to a series of exits without replacements over the last three years.
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The report notes that officers have left the service through natural attrition, resignations, dismissals, and assignments outside regular policing duties. The Kenya Police Service recorded 3,229 departures in that period.
“According to the NPS strategic plan 2023/2027, the authorised staff establishment for uniformed officers was 306,590, with in post of 106,469 officers at the time of the audit, resulting in a variance of 200,121,” reads the audit.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) confirms the trend, showing the number of police officers dropping from 92,350 in 2023 to 88,483 in 2024.
Overall, the combined strength of the Kenya Police and Administration Police fell by 3.6 per cent, going from 108,013 to 104,080 officers during the same period.
The Prisons department has also seen a decline, with the number of officers decreasing by 590, from 31,149 in 2023 to 30,559 in 2024.
The drop comes after a three-year halt in recruitment, a move that has stretched the service, particularly in densely populated urban centres and vast, sparsely populated rural areas.
Despite rising security challenges and the deployment of Kenyan officers to conflict zones such as Haiti, no new police recruitment has taken place during this period. A government plan to hire additional officers was recently blocked by the courts.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen has stated that the government intends to recruit at least 10,000 officers to ease the shortage.
Kenya’s officer-to-citizen ratio is far below the recommended international standard of one officer for every 454 citizens. In legal filings, Kanja asked the court to allow the recruitment of 10,000 officers, while Eliud Matindi challenged the process’s legality.
The EACC audit also highlights deep corruption within the service, particularly at the recruitment stage. According to the report, many available positions are controlled by influential figures, politicians, and senior officers.
“Whenever the recruitment of police constables is announced, cartels and rogue officers collude to divide the available positions among themselves and offer them to the highest bidders,” the audit states.
This leaves few openings for qualified Kenyans, and many are forced to pay bribes to secure positions.
Released on Thursday at the National Police Leadership Academy in Nairobi, the audit also points out systemic weaknesses across policies, procedures, and daily operations, which have created an environment where unethical practices thrive in the police service.
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