Police recruitment in jeopardy as NPSC wrangles halt preparations
Komora, who took office last week, has convened a full commission meeting on Friday at the CBK Pension Towers, where the recruitment exercise will be discussed alongside his formal introduction.
The planned recruitment of 10,000 police officers risks collapsing after fresh wrangles at the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) stalled preparations ahead of the October admission deadline.
The divisions, driven by disputes over a new online application system and turf wars between civilian commissioners and top police chiefs, have left the exercise without a budget and uncertain timelines.
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The recruitment exercise was originally scheduled to start in the first week of September, with recruits expected to report to police colleges by October 1. However, infighting within the commission has threatened to derail these plans, as civilian commissioners clash with the police hierarchy over control of the process.
The focus now turns to the newly appointed commission chairperson, Dr Amani Komora, to mediate a truce and ensure the process proceeds on schedule. Working alongside Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and his two deputies, commissioners will need to act swiftly to meet the October deadline.
Komora, who took office last week, has convened a full commission meeting on Friday at the CBK Pension Towers, where the recruitment exercise will be discussed alongside his formal introduction. Speaking after his swearing-in, he pledged to restore unity within the commission.
“We will build a cohesive and unified NPSC, taking into account that divisions would undermine our ability to achieve our mandate. Unity of purpose will be our focus,” Komora said.
The current impasse centres on a new online recruitment system, which the National Security Council has advised candidates to use. While Leley and other civilian commissioners support the online system, Kanja, his deputies Gilbert Masengeli and Eliud Lagat, and DCI boss Mohammed Amin oppose it. They argue the system is being implemented without proper discussion or approval during commission meetings.
Tensions have escalated through a series of letters exchanged between Leley and Kanja. In a letter dated August 6, Leley informed the Inspector General and copied senior officials, including Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, National Assembly Clerk Samuel Njoroge, and NPS Accounting Officer Bernice Lemedeket, that the commission had withdrawn all powers previously delegated to the IG regarding human resource management.
The discord comes as the NPSC addresses recommendations from the previous commission led by Eliud Kinuthia, whose April exit report highlighted irregularities in officer transfers. The report noted that police chiefs often forwarded lists of transferred officers only after changes had been made and urged prior consultation with the commission.
President William Ruto, while receiving the report, stressed the importance of continuing reforms in the service to address persistent challenges.
“Even as we acknowledge this success, we also recognise the challenges that remain and demand our urgent focus and attention. Issues such as irregular police recruitment, budgetary constraints, and the need for a sustainable police welfare programme must be addressed without equivocation,” the President said.
Despite the warnings, the report did not outline the impact of ongoing conflicts between the commission and police leadership—conflicts now threatening to delay or derail the hiring of 10,000 new officers.
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