Nairobi — The recruitment of new police officers might not be done in the new financial year, a parliamentary committee heard.

Internal Security minister George Saitoti, told the committee on Administration and National Security that the Treasury had not allocated funds for the exercise.

The ministry had requested Sh1.7 billion for the recruitment of 3,500 regular and 6,000 Administration Police officers.

"It will be a departure from our policy to increase police numbers. It may become necessary to seek reallocation since the recruitment must happen," said Prof Saitoti.

He said the ratio of officers to the wananchi stands at 1:800, far below the 1:450 recommended by United Nations.

This comes against the backdrop of an increase in crime, which the committee led by Mt Elgon MP Fred Kapondi commented on. "The funding is too little. There is no way we can develop when people are under siege," he said.

It also emerged that the ministry's fuel allocation, a measly Sh250 million, would fill each police vehicle with only nine litres of fuel per day.

Mr Kapondi said the committee will petition the Treasury to increase the allocation.