The Employment and Labour Relations Court has stopped the nationwide police recruitment exercise pending the hearing and determination of a petition challenging the process.
Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa issued interim conservatory orders on September 30, 2025, suspending the recruitment that had been scheduled to run from October 3 to October 9 across 416 centres.
The ruling means the exercise will remain frozen until the court delivers a final verdict on the matter.
Also Read
The petition, whose details are yet to be fully disclosed, was filed just days after the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) advertised the recruitment of 10,000 officers.
The drive was targeting Kenyan citizens aged between 18 and 28 years with a minimum qualification of a D+ in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
In the notice published on September 19, NPSC had invited interested applicants to download recruitment forms online, fill them out, and present themselves at designated centres for consideration.
The announcement followed weeks of tension between the commission and the National Police Service over the modalities of the recruitment.
Initially, the commission had proposed a new model where candidates would apply and be shortlisted before physical vetting, but the idea was dropped, paving the way for open applications on the recruitment day.
Justice Wasilwa directed the respondents to file their responses within seven days, while the petitioner was also given seven days to submit a further affidavit and submissions.
The case will be mentioned on October 21, 2025, to confirm compliance and for highlighting of submissions.
The suspension comes as a setback to thousands of youths who had already prepared to turn up for the recruitment, which remains on hold until the court settles the dispute.