NAIROBI —A plan to shift Kenya’s police recruitment online has met fierce resistance in Parliament, where lawmakers say the move could deepen inequality and shut out youth from rural and marginalised communities.
The National Police Service (NPS) intends to roll out a digital recruitment drive in June. But Members of Parliament from the Committee on Administration and Internal Security are warning that the strategy, however well-intended, risks excluding many potential recruits who lack internet access.
“This digital model might look modern on paper, but in practice it’s deeply unfair,” said Diddo Rasso, the committee’s vice chair and MP for Saku. “Many young people in pastoral regions still struggle to access basic infrastructure, let alone go online to apply for jobs.”
Rasso, who also chairs the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group, was especially critical. “We can talk about reform, but we must not pretend Kenya is already an industrialised nation. This model will only favour the privileged,” he said.
The stakes are high. Since the last recruitment in 2022, the police service has lost more than 4,500 officers due to retirements, resignations and deaths. Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja told MPs the shortage is already affecting operations particularly ahead of the 2027 general election.
The NPS is short on funds, too. While it requested KSh6.3 billion to recruit and train 10,000 new officers, Parliament has so far allocated just KSh2.9 billion.
Critics of the digital shift say now is not the time for bold experiments.
“This process is emotional and sensitive,” said Sotik MP Francis Sigei. “People are not just applying for a job. For many, it’s their only shot at a stable income. We can’t afford to get it wrong.”
Sigei said the move risked fuelling anger among unemployed youth. “It’s easy to lecture us about innovation, but this country’s reality is different. Let’s be practical.”
Similar concerns were echoed by Loima MP Protus Akujah, who represents a border constituency in the north. “We barely feel the presence of police in our regions as it is,” he said. “Going digital without reliable connectivity will only deepen the divide.”
The MPs also questioned whether the NPS had adequate public awareness and support systems in place, such as helplines or complaint desks, to ensure the process remains fair and accessible.
A Cure for Corruption?
Inspector General Kanja defended the digital approach, calling it a necessary step to clean up a recruitment process long tarnished by bribery and political interference.
“I joined the service with Sh30 in my pocket. No bribes, no favours,” he said. “That’s the kind of system we are trying to rebuild.”
Peter Lelei, the CEO of the National Police Service Commission, backed him up. He described past recruitment drives as a “national shame”.
“People are asked to pay tens of thousands of shillings to get into the service,” Lelei told MPs. “This digital system is not perfect, but it’s our boldest attempt yet to end that culture.”
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have reportedly been roped in to monitor the process.
Still, some lawmakers believe the problem runs deeper. “Corruption won’t vanish just because we put the application form online,” said Rasso. “If we don’t fix the politics behind it, we’re just building a new gate for the same old gatekeepers.”
For now, the debate remains unsettled. Recruitment is scheduled to begin next month, but the growing rift between Parliament and the police top brass suggests that Kenya’s effort to modernise its security forces may be more complicated than first imagined.
