President William Ruto during the unveiling of the New Police Unform. Photo Courtesy. 
By Andrew Mbuva
President William Ruto has issued a stern warning to politicians sponsoring violence, declaring that security agencies must go beyond arresting hired youths and instead pursue the powerful individuals who recruit, transport, finance and direct them.
Speaking on Friday during the passing-out parade for more than 6,000 police recruits at the National Police College Main Campus in Kiganjo, Nyeri County, President Ruto said politically sponsored violence would not be tolerated as the country prepares for the 2027 General Election.
The Head of State directed the National Police Service and other security agencies to take firm, lawful and impartial action against anyone involved in financing, organising, inciting or perpetrating political violence.
“Do not arrest only the young person holding a weapon while allowing the person who recruited, transported, and paid him to escape responsibility,” President Ruto said.
He warned politicians against maintaining private militias or using hired gangs to intimidate opponents and disrupt political meetings.
“No politician is entitled to a private militia. No candidate has the right to intimidate citizens. No political objective can justify violence,” he said.
President Ruto noted that the next General Election, scheduled for August 10, 2027, would be a major test for Kenya’s democracy, saying political competition must be based on ideas, policies and leadership rather than violence, intimidation and ethnic mobilisation.
The President said political parties must be allowed to organise and candidates allowed to campaign freely, while citizens must also be free to assemble, criticise leaders and make independent choices.
However, he said security agencies had a constitutional responsibility to protect the democratic space while distinguishing between peaceful political participation and criminal activities.
“We must secure the election without compromising the democracy we are securing,” he said, adding that the right to peaceful demonstrations and assembly must be respected and protected.
President Ruto said recent months had witnessed growing concern over the recruitment and payment of young people to disrupt political meetings, intimidate opponents and provoke violence.
He warned police officers against criminalising legitimate dissent while at the same time cautioning them against allowing criminal acts to be excused under the guise of politics.
“Political competition must be a contest of ideas, policies, and leadership—not a contest of hired gangs, intimidation, and ethnic mobilisation,” he said.
The President also reminded the newly graduated officers that their authority must always be exercised within the law and with respect for the rights and dignity of all citizens.
He said corruption, bribery, collusion with criminals, excessive use of force and abuse of authority betrayed the Constitution and undermined public trust in the police service.
Ruto further announced continued reforms aimed at improving the welfare of police officers, including better pay, housing, healthcare, equipment and career progression.
He said the three-phase review of police remuneration had increased the entry-level basic salary of a police constable from KSh21,645 to KSh29,360, representing an increase of about 36 per cent.
The President also said the government was addressing the long-standing shortage of police housing, with 47,464 housing units planned across 165 projects under the National Institutional Housing Programme.
More than 138,000 police and prison officers, together with their dependants, have also been enrolled under the Usalama Cover of the Social Health Authority, according to the President.
In another major announcement, President Ruto said the graduating officers would become the first to wear a newly introduced uniform for General Duty officers of the Kenya Police Service.
The new uniform, he said, would be progressively rolled out across the country beginning next week, while the Administration Police Service and General Service Unit would retain their current operational uniforms.
President Ruto urged the new officers to remain disciplined, impartial and incorruptible, reminding them that the uniform alone did not define professionalism.
“Be firm against crime, but faithful to the law. Exercise authority, but remain fully accountable. Preserve order, but protect freedom,” he told the graduates.
He added that police officers must remember that every person they encounter, whether a suspect, protester, motorist, trader or political mobiliser, remains a citizen whose rights they have sworn to protect.
The remarks were delivered during the passing-out parade for Recruits’ Course 1/2025 at the National Police College Main Campus in Kiganjo on August 28, 2026.
President Ruto’s strongest warning focused on the financiers and political masterminds behind electoral violence, signalling a tougher approach as the country heads towards the 2027 polls.
