EACC, IPOA partner to ensure corruption-free police recruitment

In a bid to ensure the free and fair recruitment of police officers, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) have signed a new cooperation agreement that will facilitate public participation and strengthen oversight in the hiring of 10,000 new officers.

The partnership, announced following a joint meeting at the EACC headquarters in Nairobi, aims to enhance integrity in the upcoming recruitment exercise and address long-standing corruption concerns within the National Police Service.

EACC Chairman David Oginde said the collaboration comes at a critical time as the government prepares for one of the largest recruitment drives in recent years.

“That has been of great public concern. We have deliberated on some of the challenges, and we have agreed that we’ll work together to see how we can monitor whatever is happening within the upcoming recruitment and even future ones,” Oginde said.

He added that the arrangement will give the public a chance to participate in a transparent process for young people aspiring to join the police service.

“This is a matter that we are going to look at together,” he said.

Oginde also highlighted persistent corruption within the police service, noting that the institution has repeatedly topped both local and international surveys on graft.

“Every year when surveys are conducted, both locally and internationally, the police service seems to come up at the top of that survey list as the most corrupt institution. This is something we do not celebrate, and we would want to see what we can do to ensure it does not continue,” he said.

He further explained that the agencies would study corruption trends and causes within the sector.

“We are going to work together to see what some of the trends, some of the causes and sources of this trend are that seem to enhance corruption within the police sector,” Oginde added.

The EACC and IPOA also agreed to strengthen capacity building through training sessions at the National Integrity Academy, which EACC runs to promote ethics across public and private institutions.

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has also assured Kenyans of a credible, merit-based recruitment exercise, promising stern action against those who attempt to compromise the process.

Speaking during a media interview on Monday, Kanja admitted that past recruitments had been marred by fraud and irregularities.

“In recruitment, there is a lot of corruption; that is what we all know, and this time round I want to assure Kenyans that this time round we are going to recruit police officers in a manner,” he said.

The police boss stressed that only qualified candidates will be admitted.

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“You walk in; if you are qualified, you get recruited, period. That is exactly what I, together with my leadership, want, and we are ready,” he said.

Kanja further revealed that he had invited the EACC to audit existing recruitment policies and identify weaknesses.

“As the inspector general, I have invited the EACC to come and review our systems and policies so that we can be able to understand where the corruption gaps are,” he said.

He issued a stern warning against malpractice, saying, “Any person who will go against that spirit, we are ready to take that person home and straight to jail.”

Kanja emphasised that the collaboration with EACC was designed to ensure only deserving candidates join the service.

“This is to ensure that just the right people are recruited in the service,” he added.

However, the recruitment exercise faces a fresh legal hurdle after Lawyer Shadrack Wambui and Sheria Mtaani petitioned the Milimani High Court to halt the hiring of 10,000 officers.

Through a Certificate of Urgency filed on Thursday, September 11, 2025, the petitioners asked the court to issue a conservatory order restraining Inspector General Douglas Kanja and the National Police Service from proceeding with the recruitment until a pending matter on the control of the police payroll is resolved.

“That pending the hearing and determination of this application herein, a conservatory order be issued restraining the Respondents, whether by themselves, their officers, servants, agents, or any person acting under its authority, from proceeding with or in any way conducting the recruitment of police officers as recently announced,” reads the petition.

The petition follows the government’s confirmation of plans to recruit 10,000 police constables this year, marking one of the largest such exercises in recent times.