By Andrew Mbuva
President William Ruto has challenged newly trained Administration Police officers to uphold integrity, accountability and respect for human rights as they begin their careers in the National Police Service.
Speaking on Friday, September 4, 2026, during the 59th Passing-Out Parade for Administration Police Recruits’ Course 1/2025 at the National Police College Embakasi ‘A’ Campus in Nairobi, President Ruto said the character of police officers remains critical to the security and stability of the country.
The President said the police recruits, who had undergone nine months of rigorous training, were now taking on the responsibility of preserving peace, enforcing the law and protecting the rights and dignity of every Kenyan.
He emphasised that police authority does not come from rank, weapons or uniforms, but from the Constitution and the people of Kenya who entrust officers with the responsibility of serving them.
Ruto urged the new officers to uphold professionalism and discipline, fight corruption, embrace transparency and accountability, and respect human rights in their daily duties.
He also reminded the officers that Kenyans enjoy constitutional freedoms, including freedom of expression, association, assembly, demonstration and political participation, which he said must be respected and protected.
The President used the occasion to outline his administration's ongoing reforms within the National Police Service, saying the government was working to create a professional, well-equipped, technologically capable and accountable police service.
According to Ruto, the reforms cover police remuneration, welfare, housing, training, equipment, technology, infrastructure and institutional capacity.
He said the government had completed a three-phase salary review that increased the entry-level basic salary of a police constable by 36 per cent, with corresponding adjustments across other ranks.
The government is also expanding police housing, strengthening healthcare through the Usalama Cover and improving officers' mobility, protective equipment, specialised operational assets and air support.
Ruto further said that since 2022, the National Police Service had constructed 252 police stations, recruited and trained 10,000 officers and provided additional professional training to more than 31,000 serving officers.
He said the government had also operationalised the Multi-Biometric Identification System and made police services available through e-Citizen, while work continues on the National Police Service Information Management System, including the Digital Occurrence Book.
The President also announced that the National Police Service Referral Hospital at Mbagathi had been completed, while the Forensic Laboratory had been constructed and was being progressively equipped.
Ruto said the recently unveiled General Duty police uniform was part of the broader police reform programme and should not be viewed as an isolated intervention.
He said the uniform was developed following consultations with police officers and members of the public, taking into account professional identity, operational suitability and the dignity of officers.
The President, however, stressed that the success of police reforms would ultimately depend on how officers interact with citizens.
He said the true measure of reform would be whether officers respond when called, enforce the law fairly, reject bribes, protect vulnerable people, respect human dignity and treat all Kenyans equally before the law.
Ruto also welcomed public scrutiny of police reforms and government expenditure, saying accountability must be based on facts, evidence and truth.
He challenged Kenyans to question government decisions while avoiding prejudgment, arguing that honest scrutiny helps strengthen institutions, protect public resources and advance the public interest.
As he congratulated the new officers, the President urged them to exercise authority with restraint and accountability.
“Serve with courage, but never without restraint; exercise authority, but never without accountability; and enforce the law, but never without humanity,” Ruto told the graduating officers.
