Some of the applicants interviewed said they felt that they were short-changed by the NPSC which did not consider them for the Inspector General’s position yet they had applied for it/FILE AFP
NAIROBI, Kenya Nov 2 – The announcement by the National Police Service Commission on candidates shortlisted for interviews to fill the post of Inspector General and two deputies has sparked protests from applicants who want the criteria used to rank them disclosed.
Some of the applicants interviewed said they felt that they were short-changed by the NPSC which did not consider them for the Inspector General’s position yet they had applied for it.
“It is difficult to understand why the commission chose to consider some officers for the Inspector General’s post as best suited candidates while leaving others who equally qualify having met conditions set out in an advertisement for both positions,” one officer said.
Most police officers who had applied for both positions were shocked to learn that they had either been dropped or only considered for interviews for one position.
“We would want to understand the criteria used because as far we are concerned, the actual recruitment process has not reached a point where anyone should be dropped because none of us has been interviewed,” another police officer dropped from the top job complained.
NPSC Chairman Johnson Kavuludi when reached for comment said “It is the prerogative of the commission to decide based on the applications received where they were best suited.”
“We had a strict formula we were using which is not subject to discussion with any other party. That is the work of the commission so no one should be worried at all,” Kavuludi told Capital FM News on telephone.
Some other candidates complained that they were not shortlisted for any of the three jobs yet they met all the conditions set out in the advertisement.
“They [Commissioners] need to explain to us what happened, they cannot wake up and decide this is the right candidate to shortlist before inviting us for an interview,” another former police officer who did make the cut complained.
Only nine candidates were shortlisted for each post in the three slots – Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General (Kenya Police Service) and Deputy Inspector General (Administration Police)-out of more than 100 who sent in their applications.
Those shortlisted for the job of Inspector General include Police Spokesman Eric Kiraithe, Grace Kaindi who heads the complaints department at Vigilance House, former Provincial Criminal Investigations Officer Swaleh Slim, former Provincial Commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan, Joseph Ashimala, David Kimaiyo of the Small Arms Secretariat, John Patrick Owino, Peter Macharia Mwangi of the State Law Office, and Mary Oyugi-Kaol of the International Police (Interpol).
Officers shortlisted for the deputy Inspector General’s post include Administration Police Commandant Samuel Arachi, Omar Shurie Abdi (Administration Police Training College), Dalmas Otieno Nyakembo Ochalo, Margaret Nyambura Karanja, Eusebius Laibuta (Administration Police Personnel), Fred Mwei (Administration Police), David Karungu Ngori and Alexander Kyenze Munyao and Deputy CID Director Gideon Muoki Kimilu.
CID Director Ndegwa Muhoro is battling it out with Marcela Andanje, Judy Jebet Ndeda (Railways Police), Mohammed Ibrahim Amin (CID), Jasper Nyauma Ombati (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) who once served as the Police Spokesman, former Provincial Police Chief Ezekiel King’ori Mwangi (Police Reforms), Stanley Cheruiyot, Dido Mamo Galgalo and Zipporah Gatiria Mboroki in the tight race to head the Kenya Police Service.
Interviews for the position of Inspector General will commence on November 9 while those of the deputies will take place between November 13 and 17.
The shortlisted candidates include both civilians and serving police officers. There are only six women on the final list.
The commission has announced that the interviews will be done public and invited members of the public to submit petitions on information they have about the shortlisted candidates.
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