Matiang’i: Government Should Have Used NYS to Make New Police Uniforms
The NPS clarified that Bedi Investments Limited won the contract after a process that invited local textile manufacturers under the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya policy.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
Jubilee Party presidential aspirant Fred Matiang’i has questioned why the government outsourced the production of Kenya’s new police uniforms instead of tapping existing capacity at the National Youth Service (NYS).
The former Interior Cabinet Secretary made the remarks three days after President William Ruto unveiled the new General Duty uniform at the Kenya Police Training College in Kiganjo on Friday, August 28. Matiang’i argued that public institutions already possessed the skills and facilities needed to manufacture the attire and that outsourcing was unnecessary.
“Government does not always have to buy everything,” he said in a statement on X. Recalling his time in office under the Jubilee administration, Matiang’i explained that the 2018 uniform change was preceded by a deliberate assessment of available government capacity. The NYS, with its vocational and technical training programmes, was deliberately brought into the process.
He shared a video of the commissioning of NYS production lines for the earlier uniforms and noted that the service had the capacity to produce 1,000 pieces a day. The previous government also collaborated with other public institutions and private partners to maximise existing skills, control costs, build local capacity and create jobs for Kenyans.
“As we discuss another change of police uniforms today, we should ask a bigger question: Are we getting the greatest possible value from the resources available to us?” Matiang’i said.
The new uniform replaces the Persian-blue design introduced only eight years ago. Officers will now wear sky-blue shirts and navy-blue trousers, with the same style for both men and women. The National Police Service (NPS) said the change followed consultations with officers and the public and was guided by reform recommendations. Inspector General Douglas Kanja stated that officers had expressed dissatisfaction with the previous uniform and that the new one was intended to improve morale.
The rollout of the new attire began on Monday, August 31. Critics have questioned both the short lifespan of the 2018 uniform and the cost of the latest procurement, estimated in media reports at between Sh2.8 billion and Sh3 billion. An official total figure has not been released by the government.
The NPS clarified that Bedi Investments Limited won the contract after a process that invited local textile manufacturers under the Buy Kenya, Build Kenya policy. It denied reports linking Nalitex Limited to the tender and said Bedi’s sample was selected after evaluation and public participation. The Service maintained that the procurement complied with the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.
Unsubstantiated claims that politically connected individuals may have benefited from the deal have also circulated. The NPS rejected those allegations and welcomed scrutiny based on accurate and verifiable information.
Matiang’i steered clear of the specific claims and focused instead on the principle of using public capacity first. “A uniform can change the appearance of a police officer,” he said. “But good governance must go further. It must strengthen institutions, build capacity and ensure that every shilling spent delivers value to the Kenyan people.”
He added that the true measure of leadership is not the amount of money spent, but the results achieved with those resources.
About Author
