A new national report has shown a clear split in Kenya’s security workforce, with only the Directorate of Criminal Investigations adding officers in 2025 while all other police units recorded declines in staffing.
The findings are contained in the Economic Survey 2026 released on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, which tracks changes in public sector staffing and crime trends across the country.
According to the report, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations increased its personnel from 6,712 in 2024 to 7,460 in 2025, adding 748 officers within a year. The unit remains largely male-dominated, with 6,433 men making up 86 percent and 1,027 women accounting for 14 percent.
On the other hand, the Kenya Police Service recorded a drop from 71,039 officers to 68,493 during the same period. The Administration Police also declined from 26,329 to 25,697.
The Kenya Prisons Service followed the same trend, reducing from 30,559 officers in 2024 to 29,998 in 2025. Probation officers also fell by 156, from 1,656 to 1,490.
In total, the country had 133,138 police officers in 2025, translating to a ratio of one officer for every 525 people.
The report further shows that crime cases went down during the year under review, dropping from 101,220 in 2024 to 96,038 in 2025.
However, recoveries of illegal firearms increased sharply, rising from 135 in 2024 to 1,718 in 2025.
On government spending, Sh569 billion was allocated to Defence, Public Order and Safety, a figure higher than allocations to Health at Sh151 billion, Housing at Sh103 billion, and other public services at Sh344 billion.
The biggest share of national expenditure went to interest payments on public debt at Sh851 billion, followed by Education at Sh787 billion and General Public Services at Sh612 billion.