A major gap between security sector funding needs and actual budget allocation has emerged, putting pressure on government plans to scale up police recruitment and strengthen national security capacity ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The National Police Service now says it may not fully deliver its planned recruitment drive after the National Treasury allocated Sh2.9 billion for the 2026/2027 financial year, far below the Sh6.7 billion the service says is required to bring in at least 15,000 officers. The shortfall has raised concern within the service, especially as part of the money is already tied to ongoing training obligations.
While appearing before the National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee on Tuesday, Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja told MPs that the current allocation cannot support the scale of recruitment expected under the government’s security expansion plan.
“The proposed allocation of Sh2.9 billion is insufficient. The lion’s share of those funds will go towards settling pending bills for operations of the 10,000 recruits currently under training,” said Kanja.
Budget figures show that the National Treasury has allocated the National Police Service Sh143.19 billion for the coming financial year. The funds are meant to cover recruitment, officer welfare improvements, and upgrades within key departments, including modernization of the police air wing. Even so, the Inspector-General warned that the gap between funding and operational needs could slow down expansion plans.
Kanja also drew attention to challenges within the air operations unit, noting that a large portion of the fleet is currently grounded due to maintenance needs.
“We have three operational aircraft out of a total of nine and all of them require refurbishment,” he told MPs.
Transport shortages remain another major operational constraint, with the police service reporting that its mobility capacity is far below what is required for effective deployment.
“On matters transport, we operate at 50 percent of our requirement,” said Kanja.
According to the service, police operations are currently supported by 2,833 active vehicles against a requirement of 8,400 units, while 1,066 vehicles are grounded, leaving a total deficit of 4,481 units.
In an effort to modernize operations, the service has also indicated plans to begin integrating electric vehicles in urban policing areas, while retaining diesel-powered vehicles for rural and hard-to-reach regions.
“We are moving towards electric motor vehicles, mostly for use in urban areas, then deploy diesel-powered vehicles to rural areas,” he said.