Court stops planned recruitment of 10,000 police officers

The Employment and Labour Relations Court has stopped the police recruitment exercise pending the hearing and determination of a petition challenging the process.

Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa issued interim conservatory orders suspending the recruitment following an application filed on September 30, 2025.

The orders mean the recruitment process will remain frozen until the court makes a final determination on the petition.

The judge directed the respondents to file their responses within seven days.

The petitioner will also have seven days to file a further affidavit and submissions.

Justice Wasilwa further fixed the matter for mention on October 21, 2025, to confirm compliance and for highlighting of submissions.

The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) advertised the recruitment of 10,000 police officers on September 19, 2025, following a long-standing standoff with the National Police Service (NPS).

In a notice published in a local daily, the commission invited interested and qualified applicants to download recruitment forms online, fill them out, and present themselves at designated centres for consideration.

The nationwide exercise was scheduled to run from October 3 to October 9, 2025, across 416 recruitment centres.

It was targeting Kenyan citizens aged between 18 and 28 years with a minimum academic qualification of a D+ in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

The announcement came after weeks of tension between the NPSC and the NPS over the recruitment process.

The commission had earlier pushed for a new model requiring interested applicants to apply and be shortlisted before attending the physical vetting exercise.

However, the proposal was dropped, allowing all applicants to present themselves on the recruitment day with duly filled forms.