President William Ruto today presided over the graduation ceremony of 1,837 Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs at the National Police College, Embakasi ‘A’ Campus, in Nairobi.
The administrators who underwent induction, paralegal, and security management courses is the third cohort in a programme that has so far seen 5,892 chiefs and assistant chiefs trained countrywide.
The ceremony marks a critical milestone in strengthening Kenya’s governance and enhancing the delivery of public service across the country.
National Government Administration Officers (NGAOs) have for long served without structured professional training, despite their central role in governance, dispute resolution, security coordination, public order management and national cohesion.
While addressing the graduands, the Head of State reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to supporting public sector professionalism.
He said the last formal training of NGAOs was undertaken in 2016, noting that the absence of continuous professional development had compromised administrative efficiency at the grassroots level.
“We are committed to reforming and professionalising public administration to make it more efficient and citizen-focused,” the President said.
He hailed the exemplary dedication of Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs in executing their roles, particularly in facilitating national programmes.
“This includes the digitized farmer registry under the government’s agricultural transformation agenda, which has already registered over seven million farmers nationwide,” said the President.
The decision to resume structured training followed extensive national stakeholder engagements dubbed ‘Jukwaa La Usalama’, bringing together NGAOs, security agencies and the public.
Speaking at the colourful ceremony, Interior and National Administration CS Kipchumba Murkomen said the consultations informed targeted reforms aimed at restoring morale, ensuring accountability and improving the service delivery capacity of frontline administrative and security officers.
“This graduation ceremony stands as a strong affirmation of the Government’s deliberate and ongoing agenda to modernise, reposition and strengthen Kenya’s administrative framework,” CS Murkomen said.
He added that the strengthened role of NGAOs is key in the implemention of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), delivering development outcomes and ensuring efficient government-citizen interface.
“Our chiefs are not just administrators; they are multipurpose officers who connect policy to people, solve community challenges and safeguard unity at the grassroots level,” he noted.
This training is part of a raft of reforms proposed by the Jukwaa La Usalama report, set for launch tomorrow at State House, Nairobi.
