General duty police officers will begin wearing a new uniform starting Monday, August 31, 2026, phasing out the current navy-blue attire, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has announced.
President William Ruto will officially unveil the new uniform on Friday, August 28, 2026, during the passing-out parade for over 6,000 police constables graduating from the Kenya Police Training College in Kiganjo.
“On Friday God willing, the Head of State will commission new uniforms for the Kenya Police Service (KPS) so that we will have a national rollout of the same in the coming weeks,” Kanja stated.
Reversion Following Public Participation
According to the police chief, the shift follows recommendations gathered during a nationwide public participation exercise conducted in 2023, where officers voiced a preference to move away from the deep blue uniform:
“We have been using the blue, the deep blue, so we are just reverting back to the one that was agreed upon.”
Graduating recruits will be the first to don the new attire, followed by a phased rollout to general duty officers across all counties over the coming weeks.
Morale Boost and Phased Implementation
Kanja noted that the update is intended to raise officer morale and support better service delivery, describing the initiative as a “force multiplier in terms of morale boosting for our officers, especially the new recruits.”
The uniform change will initially apply exclusively to the Kenya Police Service general duty branch. Officers serving within the Administration Police Service (APS) and the General Service Unit (GSU) will retain their current operational attire during this phase.