NAIROBI, Kenya — A planned mass recruitment of 10,000 police officers has been thrown into confusion following a fresh standoff between the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and the National Police Service (NPS) over who should oversee the exercise.
The row centers on budgetary control and constitutional mandate. While the Constitution designates the NPSC as the official employer of police officers, recruitment funds for the 2025/26 financial year were allocated to the NPS.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Administration and National Security Committee on Tuesday, NPSC chief executive Peter Leley warned that the misallocation of funds undermines the commission’s independence.
“The budget for recruitment was directly allocated to the National Police Service, a position confirmed by the National Treasury in a letter dated June 10, 2025. This severely undermines the commission’s ability to independently and effectively discharge its recruitment mandate,” Leley told MPs.
The commission had requested Sh379 million for recurrent expenses but received only Sh75 million.
Despite the setback, NPSC chairperson Yuda Komora said the commission would advertise vacancies on Thursday, with training for successful recruits scheduled to begin on November 17.
Rival roles
The NPSC insists the Constitution is explicit about its powers.
“Article 246(3)(a) mandates the commission to recruit and appoint persons into the National Police Service. This covers the entire process — from advertising vacancies to publishing successful candidates and reporting to the President and Parliament,” Leley said.
He stressed that the NPS role begins after recruitment, covering training, equipping, and deployment.
Past attempts to delegate hiring powers to the Inspector-General, he noted, had led to malpractice, annulled recruitment drives, and lost public trust.
Inspector-General Douglas Kanja, however, assured legislators that the two institutions were working together and would soon reach consensus.
“Let me assure the country that very soon we are going to carry out the recruitment,” Kanja said.
Parliament pushes for clarity
The committee chair Gabriel Tongoyo urged both sides to adopt a method that instills confidence among Kenyans.
“We want you to agree on a recruitment method that guarantees fairness, transparency and accountability,” Tongoyo said.
Komora added that the commission is considering both digital and manual systems to ensure inclusivity, noting that some remote areas lack network access.
Growing pressure
The clash comes as President William Ruto’s administration faces pressure to close the country’s police-to-population gap and improve security coverage.
But with the recruitment window fast approaching, the turf war has cast doubt on the credibility of the process.
Civil society groups have already warned that any sign of irregularity could further erode public confidence in the country’s policing institutions.
