Gov't to appeal High Court ruling declaring police reforms taskforce unconstitutional

The government has announced plans to appeal a recent High Court ruling that declared the Police Reforms Task Force report unconstitutional.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo says the ministry remains committed to implementing certain aspects of the report, arguing that the court did not invalidate all its recommendations.

The report by the National Taskforce on Police Reforms, which was chaired by former Chief Justice David Maraga, proposed sweeping reforms aimed at overhauling the police service.

“The recent court decision that challenged the constitutionality of the task force primarily focused on the role of National Police Service Commission (NPSC). Out of 271 recommendations, only 16 were actually challenged,” said PS Omollo.

A High Court ruling by Judge Lawrence Mugambi declared that the formation of the 23-member Presidential Taskforce established to review the welfare of police officers was unconstitutional.

The judge ruled that President William Ruto acted unlawfully by bypassing the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), the constitutionally mandated body for such reforms.

As a result, any actions or decisions made by the taskforce, chaired by retired Chief Justice David Maraga, were deemed null and void.

“What we have agreed on is that we respect the decision of the court, and moreso in so far as those 16 reccommendations are concerned, and we will be pursuing redress through the court process to address them,” PS Omollo stated,

The ministry appears undeterred and impatient to even await the outcome of the appeal, with the PS announcing that 50% of the report has already been adopted.

This move has raised concerns over the government’s commitment to honouring judicial authority, a trend critics say has become a recurring theme under President Ruto’s administration.