NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 27 – Several potential recruits to the regular and Administration Police were a disappointed lot on Wednesday, after they were turned away for possessing ID waiting-cards despite assurances that the provisional documents would be permitted.
A week ago, Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang told Parliament that applicants would be allowed to take part in the process if they were in possession of ID waiting-cards since the government had suspended issuance of IDs to await award of new printing tender.
Kisumu recorded the highest number of youths turned away for not possessing original national Identification Cards.
Kisumu East DC Mabeya Mogaka, who presided over the exercise, said the circular they received from the Ministry of Internal Security and Provincial Administration emphasised on applicants producing their original IDs.
"Kisumu East district has been allocated 23 slots of which 12 were for police officers and 11 for administration police," he said.
The issuance of IDs was been suspended for three months from March 2, 2011 to allow for the procurement of a contractor to develop third generation documents.
Mr Kajwang had said that those who had already applied for the identification documents would be allowed to use the provisional documents.
Issuing of ID cards was discontinued after the expiry of Teluse Security Ltd\’s tender in June 2010. The company had been printing identity cards since 1995 and owns all rights and artworks to the current identity cards.
The national joint recruitment of more than 7,000 police and APs trainees was done at all the 286 district headquarters countrywide.
Applicants were required to have a minimum KCSE mean grade of C plain, aged between 18 and 28 years for KCSE holders and 30 years for university graduates.
They were also required to present a written application stating their service of preference attaching copies of their original certificates and testimonials addressed to the Commissioner of Police or Commandant Administration Police.
The recruitment is intended to supplement the police population ahead of the 2012 General Election.
In most recruitment centres in Nairobi, there were however no hitches reported and candidates interviewed by Capital News expressed optimism of getting a chance to serve in the forces.
"I expect to be taken as a recruit. I have some hope because God is everything and he will guide us throughout this endeavour," said Samuel Omolo at the Muguga Green Primary School Centre.
"They should treat everybody with fairness and not start to use some unbelievable obstacles to eliminate candidates," he said.
The potential recruits expressed confidence that the process would be fair to all candidates.
"All my fellow trainees should work hard in the process. I wish them the very best. Even if you have the minimum qualifications, you have to try hard," stated Benson Njoroge, a prospective recruit at the Nyayo Stadium centre.
"I am not very sure what to expect because the process itself is not very clear to me."
In Mombasa, poor turnout was recorded at a number of recruitment centres. The poor turnout situation was noted in Mvita, Changamwe and Likoni constituencies.
At Mvita grounds, the local chairman of the Recruitment Committee Abdi Mohamed assured the applicants that the exercise would be carried out in an open and transparent manner.
He said merit would be the deciding factor to all applicants.
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