Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the government plans to recruit an additional 5,000 police officers before the close of 2026, citing the need to strengthen national security ahead of the 2027 General Election. Raymond Omollo said the government will recruit 5,000 police officers by the end of the year. Omollo announced this on Friday, October 30, 2026, during the official opening of Manyatta Police Station in Kisumu. He called on Members of Parliament to approve the budgetary resources required to make the recruitment possible. “Although we have increased the number of police officers, we know that the numbers are still not adequate. That is why I want to appeal to our Members of Parliament that when we return seeking financial and budgetary support, they should support another recruitment exercise before the end of this year, targeting approximately 5,000 recruits,” Omollo said.
The PS noted that more than 10,000 recruits had completed training and been deployed to various parts of the country over the past ten months. The fresh intake is intended to build on those numbers and help meet constitutional obligations around public safety. “In the last year or close to 10 months, we had 10,000 police recruits that underwent training in various institutes in the country. Actually, in this station we have two recruits that are supporting senior colleagues,” he added. Security strategy for 2027 polls The planned expansion forms part of a broader electoral security strategy. The ministry intends to shift from reactive crisis response to proactive deterrence by using the enlarged force to implement early warning systems and deploy officers to volatile areas well before polling day. Kenya has long struggled to achieve the United Nations benchmark of one officer for every 400 citizens, and officials say closing that gap remains a central objective of the ongoing recruitment drives. The government is seeking a cumulative allocation of approximately KSh 2 billion to fund both the recruitment exercise and improvements to officers’ welfare.
Salary increments for junior-ranking officers have already been implemented as part of wider reforms to address years of neglect within the security sector. Curriculum review and call for peace Alongside recruitment, Omollo said the government is reviewing the police training curriculum and rolling out comprehensive retraining programmes for serving officers. The aim is to build a professional, visible force capable of securing polling infrastructure and managing crowds without a repeat of the excessive force allegations that have undermined past election cycles. The PS also used the Kisumu event to appeal for calm ahead of the 2027 polls, urging young people to register as voters rather than engage in violence. The event drew a high-profile regional delegation, including Kisumu deputy governor Mathews Owili and Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo, along with other Kisumu MPs.
