NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 2 – The Employment and Labour Relations Court has temporarily suspended the planned police recruitment exercise that was set to begin on Friday, following an urgent petition challenging its legality.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa issued interim conservatory orders halting the entire recruitment process until the petition is heard and determined.
The case, filed under reference number ELRCPET/E196/2025, pits former legislator John Harun Mwau and the State Law Office against the Inspector General of Police and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
Justice Wasilwa directed the respondents—including the NPSC and the Inspector General—to file their responses within seven days.
“The Respondents have seven days to file their response,” the court ruled.
The petitioner will then have a similar period to file a further affidavit and written submissions.
Justice Wasilwa slotted a mention on October 21, for confirmation of compliance and highlighting of submissions.
The recruitment exercise, which sought to enlist 10,000 police officers, was scheduled to run until October 9 across all counties.
Kanja-Komora briefing
The suspension comes just a day after the National Police Service (NPS) and the NPSC held a joint briefing on the recruitment of police constables at the National Police College, Embakasi ‘A’ Campus in Nairobi.
During the briefing, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to conducting a credible and transparent recruitment process.
He urged officers involved to uphold integrity by rejecting corruption, stressing that transparency was key to building public trust.
NPSC Chairperson Amani Yuda Komora, who also addressed the event, assured that the commission would support the exercise to ensure accountability and merit-based selection.
The commission had emphasized that the new intake was critical to strengthening operational capacity in the face of rising crime in urban areas and growing border security threats.
However, concerns had been raised about the transparency, fairness, and constitutional compliance of the process.
With the matter now before the court, the fate of the recruitment drive will be determined on October 21.
Until then, the NPSC and security agencies remain in limbo, with no new officers allowed to join the Service.