The national police recruitment exercise will proceed as scheduled on Monday, November 17, after the High Court lifted its earlier suspension of the process.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye, who on Monday, November 10, had halted the exercise through a conservatory order, vacated the suspension on Friday, effectively giving the National Police Service (NPS) the green light to move forward.
The suspension followed a petition by activist Eliud Matindi, who argued that Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja lacked the constitutional authority to independently oversee recruitment. Matindi claimed that the role belonged to the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
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IG Kanja Welcomes the Decision
Moments after the ruling, Inspector General Kanja expressed relief and urged eligible youth to report to recruitment centres countrywide.
“The recruitment now goes on. I want to encourage young men and women to troop in their numbers. We are not only giving jobs to them but building a reformist team,” he said.
Kanja had on Thursday asked the court to issue urgent direction, arguing that further delays posed a national security risk and would compromise preparations for the 2027 General Election.
He warned that inadequate staffing and insufficient time to train new recruits could weaken policing capacity ahead of a crucial election cycle.
Legal Hurdles That Delayed the Exercise
For weeks, the recruitment process has faced court battles.
On October 30, the Employment and Labour Relations Court nullified an earlier recruitment plan, ruling that the NPSC lacked the mandate to preside over the exercise. Justice Hellen Wasilwa affirmed that recruitment, training, and deployment fall solely under the National Police Service.
That decision paved the way for IG Kanja to announce fresh dates for the 2025 recruitment, only for the exercise to be halted again on Monday—until Friday’s reversal.
Recruitment Requirements Remain in Place
With the suspension lifted, the NPS will now proceed with enlisting new officers to address chronic staffing shortages caused by budget constraints.
Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Be a Kenyan citizen aged 18–28 years
- Hold a valid national ID card
- Possess at least a KCSE mean grade of D+, including a D+ in English or Kiswahili
- Be physically and medically fit
- Minimum height: 5 ft 8 in (men) and 5 ft 3 in (women)
- Female applicants must not be pregnant during recruitment or training
The NPS maintains that the exercise will be free, fair, and transparent, and that officers will remain vigilant to prevent bribery or malpractice.
With the legal hurdles finally cleared, the November 17 exercise is expected to give the police service a much-needed boost in readiness and capacity ahead of the next election cycle.