Questions are growing over the government’s decision to introduce new police uniforms after opposition leader Eugene Wamalwa demanded answers on the company behind the supply and the process used to award the tender.
Wamalwa, the leader of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), raised the concerns on Friday, August 28, during a public engagement tour in Emali Township, Makueni County.
The event was hosted by Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and brought together opposition leaders and members of the public.
According to Wamalwa, the procurement of the new uniforms involved a contract worth almost Ksh3 billion. He said Kenyans have a right to know which company was selected to make the uniforms and how it was awarded the contract.
“Today, we are demanding to know the company that made the uniform and how, and to whom, the tender was awarded,” Wamalwa said.
The former Cabinet Secretary questioned whether spending billions of shillings on new police attire was the most urgent way to improve the lives of officers. He argued that police officers continue to face challenges related to housing, deductions from their salaries and other welfare concerns.
Wamalwa said many officers would rather see improvements in areas that directly affect their daily lives instead of simply receiving new uniforms.
He questioned whether the main concern facing police officers was their clothing or issues such as housing and deductions linked to the Social Health Authority (SHA).
He argued that changing the uniform would not automatically improve the financial situation of officers whose payslips were already under pressure.
The comments came on the same day President William Ruto inspected and officially unveiled the new police uniform at the National Police College in Kiganjo, Nyeri County.
The new attire was presented during a passing-out parade for police recruits, marking the formal introduction of the uniform to the National Police Service. The decision to replace the previous uniform had already generated public discussion, with some Kenyans questioning the timing, cost and need for the change.
The government, however, has defended the move as part of wider reforms within the police service.Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the change was based on recommendations made by the National Taskforce on Police Reforms. He also rejected suggestions that the government’s police reforms were only about changing the appearance of officers.
Murkomen said the taskforce had recommended that the national police uniform be changed and that the design unveiled at Kiganjo followed a process that included public participation.
He further stated that police officers themselves had a role in choosing the new design.
The Cabinet Secretary stressed that police reforms covered many other areas beyond uniforms and could not be fully explained by focusing only on the new attire.
The issue has also reopened questions about the wider police reform process in Kenya. Former Chief Justice David Maraga, who chaired the taskforce, has previously raised concerns about the implementation of its recommendations.
Maraga has also demanded that President Ruto make public the full report submitted by the taskforce in November 2023.
On August 18, he gave the President seven days to release the unedited report, warning that he would make it public himself if the government failed to do so.
The disagreement has therefore created two different views about the new uniforms. While the government presents the change as part of a broader effort to reform and modernise the National Police Service, opposition leaders are questioning whether the procurement was transparent and whether the money could have been used to address more pressing problems facing officers.
At the centre of the debate is the alleged Ksh3 billion cost. Wamalwa’s demand for details about the supplier and tender process is likely to increase pressure on the government to explain how the procurement was conducted.
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