The National Police Service (Amendment) Bill, 2025

Background

The National Police Service (Amendment) Bill, 2025, sponsored by Hon. Oku Kaunya, MP, seeks to amend the National Police Service Act (Cap. 84). The primary objective of the amendments is to institute an age limit of sixty years for the offices of the Inspector-General and Deputy Inspector-General of Police. This limit is designed to ensure that those appointed to these demanding security roles possess the physical capacity to handle their responsibilities, while also enabling structured succession planning and letting younger, experienced officers rise through the ranks.

Key Amendments

• Qualifications for Inspector-General (Section 11): Replaces the previous qualifications criteria. To qualify, a person must be a Kenyan citizen, hold a degree from a recognized university, have a distinguished career, meet the Chapter Six constitutional leadership requirements, and have fifteen years of senior management experience in disciplines such as criminal justice, policy development, finance, strategic management, security, law, sociology, or government.
• Establishment of Deputy Inspector-General Appointment Procedures (Section 11A): Inserts a new section providing for the appointment of the Deputy Inspector-General by the President on the recommendation of the National Police Service Commission within fourteen days of a vacancy.
• Qualifications for Deputy Inspector-General (Section 11B): Inserts qualifications specifically tailored for the Deputy Inspector-General. Candidates must meet similar academic, citizenship, and integrity standards as the Inspector-General, have served in the Police Service for at least fifteen years, and hold the rank of Assistant Inspector-General or above.
• Consequential Deletions and References (Sections 9, 13, and 20): Deletes Section 13, which formerly regulated the appointment of the Deputy Inspector-General, as these provisions are now integrated into Section 11A. It also updates Sections 9 and 20 to refer to "11A and 12" instead of "12 and 13".

New Obligations

• The President: Must appoint a new Deputy Inspector-General within fourteen days of a vacancy.
• Deputy Inspectors-General: Restricted to a single, non-renewable term of five years.
• Candidates for Police Leadership: Must be under the age of sixty at the time of appointment. Candidates are disqualified if they are MPs, MCAs, Governors, or Deputy Governors, or if they have served in those political positions, trade unions, or political parties in the preceding five years.

Transitional Provisions

The Bill does not outline specific transitional provisions for current office holders, implying that the new limits on age, rank, and tenure will apply to all appointments made after the enactment of the amendment.