NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 28 — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has pushed back against criticism of Kenya’s redesigned police uniform, saying the new attire was selected through public participation and will be introduced gradually rather than replacing existing uniforms overnight.

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Murkomen, speaking during the passing-out parade of more than 6,000 police recruits at the National Police College in Kiganjo on Friday, said critics were wrongly reducing the government’s broader police reform programme to a change of uniform.

He said the redesigned attire was recommended by the presidential task force on police welfare and working conditions and followed consultations with police officers and members of the public.

“Thank you for also looking at even their uniform, Your Excellency. The task force you established recommended that the national police uniform needs to be changed,” Murkomen said.

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“The uniform that you unveiled today is as a result of rigorous public participation, and the police officers themselves chose their uniform,” he added.

Murkomen said the uniform was intended to reflect the professional image police officers wanted to project and dismissed what he described as propaganda surrounding the transition.

“I know I have seen some people equate the national police reforms to only the uniform,” he said, adding that the wider reforms were too extensive to be reduced to the change of attire.

The new uniform was unveiled by President William Ruto during the ceremony and will initially be worn by the more than 6,000 recruits graduating after nine months of training.

Murkomen clarified that the change would not require the immediate disposal of uniforms currently in use by serving officers.

“Contrary to the propaganda out there, the uniform is not an exchange of the uniform that the officers are wearing now and throw away the uniform they are wearing,” he said.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya