NAIROBI, Kenya — The High Court has suspended the planned recruitment of 10,000 police constables by the National Police Service (NPS), pending the determination of a petition challenging the legality of the process.
In a ruling delivered on Monday, November 10, Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued a conservatory order stopping the recruitment exercise announced by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja on November 4, 2025.
“Pending the inter partes hearing and determination of the petitioner’s application, a conservatory order is hereby issued suspending the Notice of Recruitment of Police Constables/Officers issued on November 4, 2025,” ruled Justice Mwamuye at the Milimani Law Courts.
The order stems from a constitutional petition filed by activist Eliud Matindi, who questioned the transparency and constitutional validity of the recruitment. The exercise had been slated for November 17, 2025, across all sub-counties.
The High Court has granted conservatory orders suspending the notice of recruitment of police constables/officers issued by the Inspector General of Police following an application and petition by @KaranjaMatindi
Justice Mwamuye further directed that the petitioner serve all respondents and interested parties with the application, petition, and court orders by November 12 and file an affidavit of service.
The court also issued a penal notice, warning that any violation of the suspension order would attract legal consequences.
The ruling is the latest twist in a series of disputes over police recruitment authority. Just two weeks earlier, on October 30, the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruled that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has no constitutional power to recruit police officers.
In that judgment, Justice Hellen Wasilwa affirmed that the power to recruit, train, assign, suspend, and dismiss officers lies solely with the NPS, not the commission — effectively transferring recruitment authority to the Inspector General.
Following that ruling, NPS moved to announce new recruitment criteria, insisting the process would be free, fair, and transparent. Applicants were required to be Kenyan citizens aged 18 to 28, possess at least a KCSE grade of D+, and meet specific physical and medical fitness standards.
However, with the latest High Court order, the recruitment drive is now on hold until the petition is fully heard and determined — a move likely to delay the government’s broader plan to strengthen national security through police expansion.
