The Inspector General of Police, Martin Ochola, has recently promoted a total of 9,312 subordinate police officers. The promotions were announced by Commissioner of Police Polly Namaye, the deputy Police Spokesperson. The promotions took effect from the rank of Corporal (CPL) to Inspector of Police (IP).
“The promotions were based on a number of requirements including seniority, a record of work, acting position, exemplary performance such as in operations and executing given tasks and discipline record,” Namaye said.
The promotions include 1,145 Assistant Inspectors of Police (AIP) being promoted to the rank of Inspector of Police, with five officers promoted from Head Constable Major (HCM) to IP, three from Head Constable (HC) to HCM, and 28 from Sergeant to HC.
Additionally, 1,531 officers were promoted from Sergeant to AIP, 2,644 from Corporal to Sergeant, and 3,956 from Police Constable to Corporal. CP Namaye congratulated the officers and their families on their well-deserved promotions and encouraged them, as well as other officers, to continue serving the public diligently.
This promotions cohort is the largest under the leadership of IGP Ochola, who has been in office for five years. In the first three years of his tenure, there were no promotions except for those who excelled in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games. However, at the beginning of his second term in 2021, IGP Ochola promoted over 3,097 lower-rank police officers and this time the number of promotions has tripled.
With these promotions, the police will require over one billion Shillings every month to cover the salary enhancements for both ordinary and professionally promoted police officers. The salary increases vary depending on the ranks, with IPs receiving an increase from 580,000 to 620,000 Shillings per month, AIPs from 570,000 to 580,000 Shillings, Sergeants from 530,000 to 570,000 Shillings, and Corporals from 470,000 to 530,000 Shillings.
Furthermore, among the promoted officers, over 1,000 fall into the professional category, which includes those who have undergone specialized training in fields such as IT, engineering, clinical medicine, nursing, midwifery, accounting, and finance. Professionals are entitled to a monthly professional allowance of 66,000 Shillings, requiring an additional sum of close to 70 million Shillings.