Police Set Ground Rules as Nationwide Recruitment Resumes on Monday After Court Ruling
The National Police Service (NPS) has issued a detailed set of guidelines ahead of Monday’s mass recruitment exercise, as 10,000 new police constable positions are opened across the country following the lifting of court orders that had temporarily halted the process.
In a statement released on Friday, November 14, 2025, the NPS urged all eligible Kenyans to turn up for the exercise, which will run between 8am and 5pm at 427 designated recruitment centres nationwide. Officials underscored that the process will be strictly conducted in a single day and encouraged young people to seize what they described as a significant opportunity both for employment and national service.
“This is not just a chance to get a job; rather, it is a new dawn for Kenya,” the Service said. “The successful young men and women will form a new cohort of officers expected to drive the positive and reformist agenda currently underway in the Service.”
The NPS further emphasised its zero-tolerance stance on corruption, issuing a firm warning to potential recruits, intermediaries, and officers participating in the exercise.
“We wish to state categorically and emphatically that anyone who indulges, or attempts to indulge, in bribery or corruption in any form, whether as a giver or a taker, will face the full force of the law,” the statement read. “We ask all Kenyans to continue supporting the National Police Service in its sacred quest for trusted, professional, accountable, and people-centric policing for a safe and secure country.”
Court Clears Exercise to Proceed
The recruitment will go ahead as planned after the High Court lifted conservatory orders that had blocked the process earlier in the week. The interim orders, issued on November 10, 2025, followed a petition by London-based activist Eliud Matindi, who challenged the legality of the recruitment under the authority of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
Matindi argued that the Inspector General does not hold constitutional powers to recruit police officers, insisting that such authority rests exclusively with the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
However, the IG, through State Counsel Christopher Marwa, filed an application seeking an immediate lifting of the orders. In his affidavit, IG Kanja highlighted an acute shortage of police officers resulting from three consecutive years without recruitment and natural attrition, warning that the gap had contributed to a rise in security concerns.
“Due to the shortage of police officers as a result of the lack of recruitment for the past three years and natural attrition, there has been a rise in security challenges in the country,” the Inspector General submitted. He also stressed the need to strengthen the Service ahead of the 2027 general elections, which are expected to pose significant security demands.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye agreed with the application and stayed the conservatory orders, clearing the way for Monday’s countrywide exercise.
“Pending the inter partes hearing and determination of the IG’s notice of motion application dated November 13, 2025, the conservatory orders issued on November 10, 2025, are stayed, and the obtaining status quo ante in place immediately before their issuance shall apply in the interim,” Justice Mwamuye ruled.
The matter had initially been slated for case management on November 17—the same day as the scheduled recruitment—but the court’s decision means the exercise will now proceed without further legal obstacles.
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Police Set Ground Rules as Nationwide Recruitment Resumes on Monday After Court Ruling