NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 30 — Police headquarters has dismissed reports that Nalitex Limited won the tender to manufacture the new Kenya Police Service General Duty uniforms, saying the contract was lawfully awarded to Bedi Investments Limited.
The National Police Service (NPS), through the Office of the Inspector General, said Nalitex Limited did not feature in any stage of the process involving the development, selection, procurement or manufacture of the new police uniforms.
“For clarity, the new police uniforms are being manufactured by M/s Bedi Investments Limited, which was lawfully awarded the contract by the National Police Service,” the NPS said.
The clarification follows recent media reports concerning the procurement and manufacture of the new Kenya Police Service General Duty uniform.
The NPS said the decision to change the General Duty uniform was made as part of a broader police reform programme considered by the Maraga Task Force on Police Reforms, chaired by former Chief Justice David Maraga.
According to the Service, police officers were consulted during the process and overwhelmingly expressed dissatisfaction with the existing uniform and preference for a change.
The task force subsequently recommended reverting to the previous uniform colours.
The NPS said the change was therefore neither sudden nor arbitrary, but one of several measures arising from the wider police reform process.
Following the reform process, the Kenya Police Service Uniform Committee worked with the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) to develop the required standards for the new uniform.
The NPS maintained that the development, selection and procurement process followed the recommendations of the police reform process.
The Service also sought to draw a distinction between the company named in recent media reports and the firm undertaking the uniform contract.
It reiterated that Bedi Investments Limited was lawfully awarded the contract and is responsible for manufacturing the new police uniforms.
The statement comes amid increased public scrutiny of the new police uniform and questions surrounding its procurement.
The NPS said the facts surrounding the change of uniform, its development and subsequent procurement were “clear and verifiable.”
