Ufisadi Kwa Wote: Why it is hard to tame graft during police recruitment

Thousands of young Kenyans eager to join the National Police Service (NPS) were dealt a major blow on October 2, 2025, after the Employment and Labour Relations Court halted a nationwide recruitment exercise scheduled for the following day.

The highly anticipated drive, intended to enlist 10,000 police constables — the first recruitment in three years — was abruptly stopped after former anti-corruption agency boss John Harun Mwau, himself a former police officer, filed a petition challenging the legality of the process.

In a ruling that stunned many, the court issued interim conservatory orders suspending the entire recruitment pending the determination of the petition.

“Interim conservatory order is hereby issued, staying the entire recruitment pending resolution of the petition,” read the court’s directive.

The court further directed Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) to file their responses within seven days.

The petitioner was also given the same period to file supplementary affidavits and submissions. The matter will be mentioned again on October 21, 2025, to confirm compliance and address highlighted submissions.

This marks the second time the planned recruitment has been suspended by the courts. A previous case filed by Sheria Mtaani had earlier been withdrawn, temporarily paving the way for the exercise before Mwau’s fresh petition reignited legal challenges.

Fake admissions

Behind the scenes, the recruitment saga has exposed simmering tensions within the police service — a quiet tug-of-war over who should have the final say in the recruitment process.

Insiders suggest that vested interests are at play, with powerful networks eyeing opportunities to profit from desperate job seekers, some from vulnerable families,many of whom are willing to go to extreme lengths, including selling family land, to secure a coveted slot in the service.

For years, police recruitment has been dogged by allegations of bribery, favouritism and the sale of fake admission letters. During the last recruitment period, several suspects were arrested for attempting to defraud applicants.

Two weeks ago, Inspector-General Douglas Kanja acknowledged that corruption had long tainted the recruitment process, but pledged that the 2025 exercise would mark a turning point.

“There is a lot of corruption in recruitment, and that is something we know,” Kanja said in a televised interview. “But this time round, I want to assure Kenyans that we are going to recruit the right people. If you qualify, you will get in. Anyone who attempts to compromise the process will be sent home — or to jail.”

He revealed that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) had been engaged to review the police service’s systems, policies and standard operating procedures to identify weak points that enable malpractice. 

“The other day, I had an exit meeting with the EACC, and they are preparing a report we commissioned in April,” Kanja noted.

According to him, the report pinpointed several vulnerable areas but also offered clear recommendations to help curb the vice.

The court’s intervention comes at a time when the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has also announced a major nationwide recruitment in October 2025, targeting General Service Officer (GSO) cadets, specialist officers, tradesmen and women, and professionals in fields such as education, engineering, ICT, law, and supply chain management.

Digital system

Civic analyst Bilasio Wandera expressed doubt that the police recruitment would be transparent, arguing that entrenched corruption could again lock out deserving young people.

“It will exclude many qualified applicants simply because they lack money,” he said, adding that this year’s process was expected to take place in two phases. First, applicants would express interest and upload their documents online, after which the NPSC would shortlist candidates for document verification, physical checks and medical examinations.

Wandera, however, warned that the new system might open fresh avenues for manipulation.

“Some senior officials reserve direct slots for their own candidates. Even at the regional level, quotas are sometimes altered, leaving very few opportunities for the thousands who turn up,” he added.

Past incidents illustrate the depths of desperation among applicants. In 2021, police in Kisumu arrested a young man who had attempted to bribe KDF recruiting officers by writing Sh300,000 under his foot as a covert signal of the amount he was willing to pay.

He was arrested with his mother, who later pleaded guilty. Officers recovered Sh450,000 in cash from the pair. Such cases have reinforced calls for a complete overhaul of the recruitment process. In a bid to end these malpractices, the National Police Service Commission has proposed conducting the 2025 recruitment entirely online, a move it says will promote fairness, professionalism and merit-based selection.

“These proposed regulations aim to streamline the recruitment of members of the Service, to promote transparency and ensure merit-based selection,” the NPSC said in a statement.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen confirmed that the NPSC and the NPS were finalising details of the online system to ensure that no qualified applicant — including those in remote areas — would be disadvantaged.

“The recruitment process must take place in daylight, in full public view, to guarantee transparency,” Murkomen stated.

For now, the future of the police recruitment exercise remains uncertain. The High Court’s intervention has cast doubt over when — or if — the process will resume.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of hopeful applicants, many of whom had travelled long distances in anticipation of the October 3 recruitment, remain in limbo — their dreams of serving the