NAIROBI — Kenya plans to establish more field-training grounds for police officers in parts of the country where security challenges demand specialised preparation, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said.
The new facilities are expected to be developed in areas including the Kerio Valley, northern Kenya and the Coast. The aim is to give officers practical exposure to different security environments and strengthen their ability to respond to emerging threats.
Murkomen made the announcement on Friday during the passing-out parade for police recruits at the National Police College in Kiganjo, Nyeri County, presided over by President William Ruto.
“We have also increased the training grounds,” Mr Murkomen said, pointing to an existing facility in Meru and plans to extend field training to other parts of the country.
He described continuous training as central to the government’s efforts to reform the National Police Service.
“Training and training and training is going to be the cornerstone of reforming the National Police Service,” he said.
The expansion comes as the government seeks to modernise police training and give officers more practical experience outside conventional classroom and parade-ground instruction.
In Meru, the county government has allocated 600 acres for police field-training schools near the border with Isiolo. The facility is expected to support training in an area that has faced persistent security challenges, including banditry and cattle rustling.
President Ruto also broke ground on Friday for new physical-training facilities at the National Police College in Kiganjo. The project is being supported by the United States and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Mr Murkomen said the broader reform programme was intended to produce officers who could respond effectively to security threats while maintaining good relations with the communities they serve.
“We would like our police officers to be able to combat the challenges they face, but at the same time to be friendly and work with members of the public,” he said.
The Interior Cabinet secretary also pointed to recent investments in police equipment, including protective gear, vehicles, tactical equipment, air support and crowd-management tools.
He said those investments had contributed to a reduction in banditry in parts of northern Kenya and the Kerio Valley, although he acknowledged that some areas continue to face insecurity.
The government has said it will continue expanding police training and infrastructure as part of wider reforms within the National Police Service.
The changes come alongside other efforts to modernise policing, including new training programmes in areas such as intelligence-led operations, forensic investigations, cybercrime, emergency response and professional crowd management.
For the government, the challenge now is to ensure that new facilities translate into better-prepared officers — particularly in regions where security threats can differ sharply from those faced in Kenya’s urban centres.
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