Officers don the new general service police uniforms unveiled by President William Ruto in Kiganjo on Friday, August 28, 2026. /PCSThe government's decision to introduce new police uniforms has brought fresh scrutiny to the handling of recommendations made nearly three years ago by the taskforce on police reforms led by former Chief Justice David Maraga.
The full Maraga Taskforce report, released on Monday, revealed that it had recommended that the National Police Service (NPS) revert to its old uniform for three years before embarking on a process to design a new one.
President William Ruto unveiled new uniforms for general-duty police officers on Friday, August 28, just two years and nine months after Maraga submitted the report to him at State House, Nairobi, on November 16, 2023.
This means the new uniforms were introduced before the three-year period of usage of old outfits recommended by the Taskforce had elapsed.
More significantly, the report recommended that any new uniform should be developed through a process involving both police officers and the public, with the approved design subsequently gazetted.
The Taskforce said the recommendation followed widespread dissatisfaction with the uniform introduced in 2018.
The report said officers and members of the public overwhelmingly expressed displeasure with the existing uniform, with concerns raised about its colour and quality.
"Officers of NPS and the public overwhelmingly expressed their displeasure with the current uniform. Many noted that the colour and quality of the uniform do not communicate professionalism, confidence and pride in the Service. The Taskforce was informed that the new uniform had left NPS officers looking like civilian guards."
The Taskforce further reported that officers overwhelmingly preferred returning to the previous uniform, which they associated with professional pride.
"Officers therefore overwhelmingly preferred reverting to their old uniform, of which they spoke with professional pride. This view was affirmed by members of the public."
Bad precedent set in 2018?
The report also raised questions about how the 2018 Persian-blue uniform had been introduced.
The Taskforce was informed that the change followed the restructuring of the NPS, including the transfer of a large number of officers from the Administration Police Service to the Kenya Police Service and the reassignment of roles and duties among units.
The new uniform was adopted, according to the report, to facilitate smooth transition and integration and avoid "sibling rivalry".
But the National Uniforms Committee told the Taskforce that the all-blue uniform had never been approved by the committee, despite its responsibility for approving uniforms used by the disciplined services.
NPS officers also told the Taskforce that they had not been consulted before the 2018 change.
"During the hearings and consultations across the country, NPS officers informed the Taskforce that they were not consulted or involved in any way before the decision on the change of uniform was communicated," the report notes.
The Taskforce subsequently recommended a different approach to any future change.
"The process of determining uniforms should be subject to public participation, and approved uniforms gazetted after approval by the Uniforms Committee."
It further recommended that any new uniforms for the NPS or specialised units should undergo the prescribed process, including public and officer participation.
But its most consequential recommendation was that the NPS should first return to its old uniform for three years while a process of designing a new uniform was initiated.
"In line with the overwhelming views of members of the public, NPS officers, and the leadership of NPS, the Taskforce recommends that NPS revert to its old uniform for a period of three years, during which a process of designing a new uniform can be commenced in accordance with the foregoing recommendations."
The recommendation appears both in the detailed recommendations on page 143 and in the report's summary of recommendations on page 181.
The Taskforce also recommended empowering the NPS Uniforms Quality and Assurance Committee to make final and binding recommendations on the quality of uniforms procured for the Service.
It proposed mandatory inspection and acceptance of uniforms before delivery and accountability for officers who approved uniforms that failed to meet the required standards.
The findings were particularly critical of the process that produced the 2018 uniform.
"The failure to follow due process in the change of uniforms and the haste and lack of oversight in the entire process by NPS have led to the current unacceptable situation of a poorly kitted Service," the report said.
It linked the problem to poor morale among officers and warned that shortages had forced some officers to buy their own fabric and have uniforms made by private tailors, creating variations in colour, quality and fit.
The Taskforce also warned that the practice posed a security risk because police uniforms could become readily available to criminals.
The new uniforms unveiled by Ruto on August 28 replace the Persian-blue outfit worn by general-duty officers with a sky-blue shirt and navy-blue trousers.
Male and female officers will use the same shirt-and-trouser combination, while the previous white blouses worn by female officers are being phased out.
Light sky-blue maternity dresses for female officers are also part of the new uniform arrangements, an element that aligns with recommendations in the Maraga report.
Ruto said the change followed feedback from the public and police officers in 2023 as well as recommendations from the Presidential Task Force that examined concerns over the previous uniform's quality and suitability.
The new attire was unveiled during a passing-out parade at the Police Training College in Kiganjo, with graduating officers becoming the first to wear it before a progressive national rollout.
Other specialised units, including the General Service Unit and Administration Police, will retain their existing uniforms.
The contrast with the Maraga report is therefore not simply about the colour or design of the new uniform. It concerns the process.
The Maraga Taskforce had called for the old uniform to remain in use for three years while a new design was developed through public and officer participation and subjected to approval by the relevant uniforms committee.
Instead, the government introduced a new uniform before that three-year period elapsed.
The development is particularly significant because the report had remained unavailable to the public since its submission to Ruto in November 2023.
However, in October 2024, the National Police Service Commission said it was making progress in implementing some of the Taskforce's recommendations.
The release of the full report now provides the public with the details of what the Taskforce actually recommended on police uniforms.
The government's decision to introduce a new uniform before that period expired therefore raises a central question: To what extent were the Maraga Taskforce's recommendations considered and implemented before the new police attire was adopted?
