TANA RIVER, Kenya – Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced a major policy shift on Friday during his tour of Tana River County, revealing that security officers who have served in frontier counties and marginalized areas for more than three years will be transferred within three months.
The move aims to end the practice of deploying officers to hardship areas as a form of punishment and to address growing concerns about the welfare and morale of police personnel.
Murkomen’s announcement is part of an ongoing effort to improve the working conditions of police officers in regions that have long been considered difficult postings, such as Tana River, Wajir, Garissa, Lamu, and other northern and western counties.
These areas are often plagued by insecurity, environmental challenges, and limited resources.
“From now henceforth, no police officer shall be deployed to marginalized counties or front lines as a way of punishment,” Murkomen emphasized. “When an officer is deployed to Tana River, or Wajir or Garissa, Lamu, Marsabit or Isiolo, Turkana, West Pokot, or Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Samburu or Laikipia, they must be deployed normally. Like the disciplined officer, one is on normal duty, not as punishment,” he added.
This policy change will see officers who have served in these regions for extended periods, sometimes up to a decade, reassigned to new areas within the next three months.
The transfer will not be to other operational areas but rather to postings that do not carry the same level of hardship, with the aim of improving officers’ morale and well-being.
Murkomen stressed that the new policy is designed to enhance service delivery and boost the mental health of officers.
“We have been told that amongst those suffering from mental health issues are those who feel they are treated unfairly and deployed in hardship zones for long periods of time,” he said.
He added that officers will be deployed with the understanding that their tenure in any given region will be limited to a three-year term, which he believes will improve their overall job satisfaction and efficiency.
The policy change follows concerns about the long-term impact of prolonged deployments in challenging environments, where officers face not only security risks but also isolation and limited access to essential services.
Murkomen’s directive is seen as part of a broader effort to reform the police service and improve the working conditions of officers who serve in some of the country’s most difficult regions.
