NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 17 — The National Police Service (NPS) is conducting a massive one-day nationwide recruitment drive across 427 centres, following a High Court ruling that lifted an order suspending the exercise.
The recruitment, targeting 10,000 police constables, began at 8am on Monday and will run until 5pm, marking one of the largest single-day recruitment exercises in the country’s history.
The drive is expected to attract thousands of hopeful applicants as the NPS seeks to fill staffing gaps and strengthen security operations nationwide.
The Nairobi recruitment centre has been relocated from Kamukunji Sports Grounds to Morrison Primary School due to ongoing construction works at the Kamukunji venue.
The exercise follows a ruling by High Court Judge Bahati Mwamuye, who on Friday lifted earlier conservatory orders suspending recruitment.
The judge directed parties to exchange filings ahead of a case management session on November 17 and issued a penal notice cautioning against non-compliance.
Mwamuye rescinds order halting police recruitment after IG protest
The application to lift the suspension was filed by Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja, who highlighted that a three-year freeze in police recruitment had left the Service severely understaffed, posing security risks with just 21 months to the 2027 General Election.
Kanja further told the court that halting the exercise would disrupt the training and deployment of officers needed to address evolving security threats.
IG mandate
He also accused petitioner Eliud Matindi of withholding crucial information, noting an October 30 Employment and Labour Relations Court ruling affirming that the IG—not the National Police Service Commission—holds recruitment authority, upholding the IG’s operational independence under Article 245(4)(c) of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, the National Police Service Commission and the Law Society of Kenya have appealed the decision, with the matter pending before the Court of Appeal.
On November 15, NPS had called on eligible Kenyan youth to participate in the long-awaited recruitment, anticipating the court’s clearance.
NPS Spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga described the exercise as “a new dawn for Kenya,” noting that the successful applicants will form a new cohort of officers expected to advance the reformist agenda within the Service.
Nyaga also reiterated the NPS’s firm stance against corruption, warning applicants against engaging in bribery.
“Anyone who indulges, or attempts to indulge, in bribery or corruption, whether as a giver or a taker, will face the full force of the law,” he said.
Although recruitment proceeds today, the related case involving the NPSC and the Law Society of Kenya—challenging the Labour Court ruling granting recruitment authority to the IG—remains before the Court of Appeal.
Without Friday’s ruling, the conservatory orders would have blocked recruitment until January 22, 2026.
