Court petition filed to halt NACADA recruitment

A petition has been filed in court seeking to suspend the National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) recruitment drive, citing alleged breaches of constitutional and legal requirements.

The legal challenge targets the ongoing recruitment for positions including Compliance Officers, an Office Administrator, Accountants, a Corporate Communications Officer, and a Records Management Officer. These vacancies were advertised on 13th January 2026, with applications initially accepted over a 21-day window closing on 3rd February 2026.

According to court documents, the petitioner contends that the recruitment process is discriminatory and unconstitutional, primarily due to the requirement that applicants hand-deliver hard copies of their applications to NACADA’s headquarters in Nairobi.

The filings describe the recruitment exercise as a “travesty in law” and call for judicial intervention to safeguard constitutional principles.

The petition further argues that restricting submissions to physical delivery in Nairobi is unjustified given NACADA’s 33 regional offices and its active website. It also highlights the failure to advertise the vacancies in newspapers of national circulation, relying solely on the MyGov online platform.

Additionally, the omission of remuneration details in the advertisement is cited as contrary to statutory requirements, and the process is alleged to violate constitutional provisions on equality, fair labour practices, and fair administrative action.

The petitioner is seeking urgent conservatory orders to stay, suspend, and restrain NACADA from proceeding with the recruitment and appointment process until the matter is fully determined, warning that filling the positions before the court’s ruling could render the proceedings moot.

Sources familiar with the matter indicate that the filing of the petition has effectively put the recruitment exercise on hold, with internal processes related to shortlisting and appointments paused pending judicial guidance.