The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has begun a public participation exercise on draft recruitment regulations, marking a critical step before the hiring of 10,000 police constables in the coming months.
Speaking in Kisumu on Monday during a stakeholder forum, NPSC Commissioner Collete Suda said the Constitution mandates the commission to “recruit, appoint, promote, discipline, transfer, and manage the human resource functions of the National Police Service (NPS).”
“Because of that constitutional mandate, the NPSC is responsible for the recruitment and appointment of police officers. Before that happens, we need to put in place regulations,” Suda said. “What we are doing here today is collecting views from stakeholders through this participatory process so we can enrich the regulations before finalising and moving forward with recruitment.”
The Kisumu forum brought together participants from five counties; Busia, Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay, and Siaya. Suda praised the turnout, describing the exercise as a constitutional imperative to ensure a transparent and fair recruitment framework.
She disclosed that the upcoming recruitment will prioritise integrity and equal opportunity, with applications processed entirely online to curb irregularities and corruption that have tainted past exercises.
“We are going to make sure all regions have an equal chance to participate through online applications,” she said. “There has been a perception of irregularities during police recruitment, but leveraging technology will enhance efficiency, accountability, and integrity while minimising human interaction.”
Suda stressed that the technology-driven approach is aimed at “significantly reducing irregularities and malpractices” while giving young Kenyans “a fair chance to serve in the police service.”
She added that public participation forums will continue across the country to give more young men and women the opportunity to shape the regulations before the recruitment process kicks off.
