Police recruitment postponed after court order
By Mabonga Makhanu, October 2, 2025The National Police Service (NPS) has postponed its planned police recruitment exercise that was set to begin on Friday, October 3, 2025, following a court order.
In a statement issued on Thursday, October 2, 2025, the NPS announced that the recruitment exercise will not proceed as earlier scheduled and will remain suspended until further notice.
According to the statement, the Employment and Labour Relations Court, in Petition No. E196 of 2025 (Harun Mwau v. Inspector General of Police, the National Police Service Commission & 2 Others), issued an order halting the exercise. The recruitment drive had been expected to officially commence across the country on October 3.
This comes after the Employment and Labour Relations Court suspended the 10,000-officer recruitment exercise until a petition filed by former MP John Harun Mwau is heard and determined.
The ruling, delivered on Thursday, October 2, 2025, by Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa, came in response to the petition filed against the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
The NPS noted that, together with the National Police Service Commission, it is actively exploring legal remedies to ensure that recruitment can resume as soon as possible.
“As a service, we remain committed to upholding the rule of law and complying with court orders,” the statement read.
The postponement comes as thousands of aspiring police officers had been preparing to report to recruitment centres countrywide.
Kanja’s pledge on corruption
In a previous speech to the nation, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja promised that these years of hiring would be different and free of corruption.
He admitted that the NPS has long been associated with incidents of corruption but vowed to curb it during these years of recruitment.
“There has been a lot of corruption in recruitment, and that is something we are aware of. This time round, I want to assure Kenyans that the process will be transparent. Any person who goes against this spirit will face the law,” Kanja stated.