Govt Set to Announce Dates for Mass Police Recruitment of 10,000 Officers
The government is expected to finally give clarity on the delayed police recruitment on Monday as tensions between the National Police Service (NPS) and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) continue to rise.
Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said an announcement will be made on Monday. He spoke on Thursday during the OCS Consultative Conference at the National Police Leadership Academy in Ngong.
“By Monday we will know the exact date of the recruitment,” he said.
President William Ruto had earlier said the recruitment of 10,000 police officers will start in September. He also directed that 4,000 of the recruits be drawn from the National Youth Service (NYS) during the NYS passing-out parade in Gilgil, Nakuru, on August 28. But the government has not communicated a specific date.
This is the first major recruitment since 2022 when the Kenya Kwanza administration froze the exercise. The need for new officers has become urgent with the NPSC saying over 10,000 officers have left the service recently.
In July Murkomen said the exercise will be factored into the 2025-2026 budget with recruitment expected to start soon. But the process has been marred by disputes over who has the final say on human resource management.
NPSC says the Constitution gives it sole authority on recruitment and revoked all HR powers to the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja and his deputies in early August. NPS on the other hand says the Inspector General’s office should have control.
To boost transparency NPSC had proposed a fully digital recruitment model where applicants will apply online and then be shortlisted for physical assessments. Treasury allocated Ksh2.9 billion for the plan but NPS said it needed Ksh6.9 billion to execute it properly. Senior police officers have opposed the online system saying it’s prone to manipulation and not ready.
In the meantime the National Security Council chaired by President Ruto recommended reverting to the traditional in-person recruitment method. This is expected to clear the way for the long delayed exercise.
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Govt Set to Announce Dates for Mass Police Recruitment of 10,000 Officers