Kenya’s police chief has called for fairness and integrity as the country embarks on its largest recruitment of officers in years.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja urged recruitment panels to “be fair and above board” as 10,000 new constables are set to be enlisted between October 3 and 9.
“This is about public trust,” Mr Kanja said during a briefing at the Administration Police College in Embakasi. “Let us be fair to the recruits and to the process. Shun corruption. Kenyans are watching.”
The exercise, the first in four years, comes amid a shortage of officers across the country. The delay has been blamed for overstretched resources and gaps in security coverage.
The recruitment will be overseen by joint panels drawn from across the National Police Service, following weeks of internal wrangling over how the exercise should be conducted. Disputes within the commission and secretariat had threatened to derail the process, prompting intervention from senior political leaders. Eventually, the government settled on the traditional panel system.
Dr Amani Komora, chairperson of the National Police Service Commission, underscored the importance of credibility. “The commission will fully support this exercise to ensure transparency, accountability, and merit-based selection,” he said.
Vice Chairperson Professor Collette Suda reminded panel members that expectations were high. “Kenyans want this recruitment to be beyond reproach,” she said.
Commission CEO Peter Leley added a warning, stressing that misconduct would attract personal responsibility. “There is no room for malpractice. This must be a process of integrity,” he told the gathering.
Other senior officials in attendance included the Deputy Inspector Generals Eliud Lagat and Gilbert Masengeli, the Director of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin, and several commissioners.
The briefing set out the roles of each panel and addressed potential challenges, with officials stressing the need for consistency and fairness across the country.
For Kenya’s police service, which has long battled questions over transparency in recruitment, the coming week will be a test. For new recruits, it is the doorway to a career in uniform.
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