{
  "id": 4936636,
  "title": "Ruto’s police reforms: What has changed since Maraga’s 2023 report?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/rutos-police-reforms-what-has-changed-since-maragas-2023-report",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-01T20:57:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "People Daily Kenya",
    "slug": "people-daily-kenya",
    "url": "https://peopledaily.digital/inside-politics/rutos-police-reforms-what-has-changed-since-maragas-2023-report"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "President William Ruto's government is facing renewed scrutiny over the pace and extent of police reforms since former Chief Justice David Maraga released a report in November 2023. The report recommended wide-ranging changes to the National Police Service (NPS), Prisons Service, and National Youth Service (NYS). However, it remains unclear which of the taskforce's most important recommendations have actually been implemented.\n\nThe National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has stated that the government is progressively implementing the Maraga taskforce recommendations. They point to salary reviews, promotions, and amendments to the NPSC Act. However, Maraga argues that the implementation has fallen short of the structural changes needed for the police service to be truly independent.\n\nMaraga has specifically challenged the legal framework governing senior police appointments, citing that changes made in 2014 increased presidential influence over the service. He believes that the current sections 13 and 30 of the National Police Service Act give deputies and the director too much control, which he describes as capture rather than reform.\n\nSince the report's release, there have been some signs of progress. In September 2024, the NPSC announced a salary increase for police constables, raising the entry-level basic salary. The commission also reported promotions across several ranks, including a significant number of promotions for officers who had remained in the same position for over three decades. However, Maraga argues that these changes do not address the taskforce's deeper concerns about police organization, independence, and accountability.\n\nThe debate over the reforms has shifted from police welfare to concerns about political power. Maraga has called for the repeal of certain sections of the National Police Service Act and the implementation of competitive recruitment for senior police positions. He argues that improvements in salaries, promotions, and uniforms alone are not enough to constitute comprehensive police reform if senior leadership remains vulnerable to executive influence.\n\nThe government has not publicly accepted Maraga's characterization of the structure as \"capture.\" Instead, they point to the reforms already being implemented and continued work on the taskforce's recommendations. The dispute has intensified after the government introduced new police uniforms, which opposition politicians argue receives greater attention than deeper institutional reforms.\n\nThe controversy surrounding the reforms comes amid ongoing scrutiny of police conduct in Kenya, including allegations of police brutality. For the Ruto administration, the publication of the Maraga report presents a more specific political test than the initial question of why the document remained private for nearly three years. While the government can point to tangible changes made since 2023, particularly in police pay, promotions, and human-resource systems, Maraga's intervention highlights the recommendations that concern the distribution of power.",
  "summary": "President William Ruto’s government is facing renewed scrutiny over the pace and depth of police reforms after former Chief Justice David Maraga made public a report that officials say has already informed changes to officers’ pay, promotions and human-resource management. The report, handed to Ruto in November 2023, recommended wide-ranging reforms to Kenya’s National Police […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}