Kenya targets over 28,000 police housing units in 137-project pipeline
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President William Ruto says Kenya has a pipeline of 137 police housing projects totalling more than 28,000 units, with 870 units completed and about 12,000 under construction.
Kenya has established a pipeline of 137 housing projects comprising more than 28,000 units for police officers, President William Ruto has said, as part of a wider push to improve the welfare and operational capacity of the country's security services.
Speaking during the pass-out parade for General Service Unit officers at the National Police College, Embakasi 'B' Campus, Ruto said 870 of the units have been completed, about 12,000 are under construction and more than 1,500 are under procurement, with a further 15,000 units planned for development.
The programme includes major developments at the GSU headquarters in Ruaraka, the Presidential Escort Unit in Ruiru Camp and the GSU Training School in Embakasi. The President said the housing programme was intended to ensure that officers entrusted with protecting the country could return from duty to decent homes.
Deputy Inspector General of the Kenya Police Service Eliud Lagat linked the graduation to the broader objective of strengthening the Service's capacity, saying the goal was to raise the police-to-citizen ratio and improve its ability to keep Kenyans safe. "Technology is reshaping both crime and how we respond to it. These officers are prepared for the challenge," he said.
Ruto also said more than 138,000 police and prison officers and their eligible dependants had been brought under a dedicated medical scheme through Usalama Cover under the Social Health Authority, with the healthcare provider network expanded from 973 facilities under the previous private insurance arrangement to more than 8,000 facilities across all 47 counties.
Beyond welfare, the President said the government is implementing a KSh30 billion Police Modernisation Programme, of which KSh21 billion has already been invested. The programme covers protective equipment, mobility, air support, secure communications, surveillance, command-and-control systems and digital capabilities, alongside training in counter-terrorism, intelligence-led operations, forensics, cybercrime and emergency response.