A new recruitment drive for 10,000 police officers across the country is set to begin on April 20, the National Police Service Commission announced on Friday.
This move comes after President Uhuru Kenyatta's order for police recruits to report to college was met with opposition from lawyers, constitutional bodies, and security experts, who described it as illegal.
The controversy began when High Court Judge Isaac Lenaola ruled last October that the training of police recruits be stopped due to massive bribery during the recruitment process. The government appealed the decision, with the court of appeal scheduled to rule next month.
Opposition to the Order ¶
Security expert Prof Trevor Ng'ulia wrote in the Saturday Nation, 'When corrupt means are used to join the force, police officers march out of Kiganjo Training College with an avaricious appetite for bribes.'
Lawyer Kamu Kuria emphasized the importance of respecting court orders, stating, 'Respect for court orders, however disagreeable one may find them, is a cardinal tenet of the rule of law...'
Police oversight chairman Macharia Njeru and CIC's Charles Nyachae also opposed the order, citing concerns about the legality of the president's directive.
Response to Garissa Attack ¶
The president had linked the recent Garissa University College attack, which left 147 people dead, to a shortage of officers in the area. He directed the inspector-general of Police, Joseph Boinnet, to take urgent steps to ensure the 10,000 recruits report for training.
However, the National Police Service has now announced a new recruitment drive, acknowledging the need to adhere to the rule of law and ongoing court processes.
