About 1, 000 officers have started resigning from the police service after the National Police Service Commission drastically reduced their salaries by even more than half.
Most of those affected by the new salary cut are graduate and disabled officers.
According to Daily Nation, some of the officers who have already received last month’s salary through the Kenya Police Sacco decried that it was greatly slashed, some even by upto 26, 000.
NPSC effected this pay for graduate officers and those who are disabled despite a court order directing the government not to implement the reviews by the NPSC.
Before this recent review by NPSC, a graduate officer earned a basic salary of Sh36, 000 and allowances of Sh11, 000.
But in the new structure, they will earn Sh18, 000 basic pay and an allowance of Sh9, 000.
The law further exempts any disabled police officer earning Sh150, 000 and below from paying taxes but in the new review, they will pay taxes.
The situation is appalling as mobile phone notifications showed some of the officers would only earn Sh20 this month while others would earn nothing whatsoever.
“I earned negative Sh15,000 this month,” one of the affected officers who cannot be named due to sensitivity of the matter told Daily Nation.
“If I continue working here, I will keep earning zero,” he noted plaintively. He has since tendered his resignation letter.
He had taken up a loan hoping he would be able to pay it up every month from his salary. He had to borrow money as police standing orders require that an officer quitting the force surrenders a month’s salary and issues a 24-hour notice.
Many of them are opting to do this other than serving for a three-month period from their date of resignation.
Those eligible to terminal benefits are the officer who have served for 12 years and above.
Another officer lamented NPSC directive citing it was in breach of the International Labour Law.
“We already are living in deplorable conditions and working in very risky circumstances but our employer is taking from us the little we get. It is shameful.”
Francis Atwoli led Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) castigated NPSC over the downward review of police salaries.
“Under the country’s labour laws, one’s pay cannot be reduced without discussions between the worker and the employer. This unilateral decision is unfair,” COTU Secretary General stated.
But National Police Service Spokesperson Charles Owino defended NPSC review saying it was within the law.
“The NPSC acted within the law. For instance, there is no legal authority to pay corporals a salary equivalent to that of an inspector,” he said.
Before the implementation of the review, graduate constables earned a basic salary equal to that of a non-graduate inspector. Inspectors only earned higher allowances because of their rank.
In the recent past, a graduate officer would be promoted to an inspector just within three years of serving in te force.
He would bolt from a constable to an inspector bypassing the ranks of corporal, sergeant and senior sergeant.