The Milimani Law Court has nullified the ongoing recruitment of police officers across the country, ruling that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has no constitutional authority to conduct or oversee the process.
In a landmark judgment, the court declared that the recruitment of police officers is an exclusive function of the Inspector General of Police (IG) and that the NPSC cannot assume or delegate that power.
Justice Byram Ongaya ruled that all recruitment activities carried out under the authority of the NPSC are unconstitutional, invalid and therefore cancelled.
The court further directed that the relevant law governing police recruitment be reviewed to clearly separate the powers of the NPSC and those of the IG, in order to prevent future conflict and overlapping mandates.
The ruling effectively stops the planned recruitment of 10,000 new police officers that was scheduled to begin earlier this month, marking a major setback for the government’s security staffing drive.
The case, which was filed under a certificate of urgency, challenged the legality of the recruitment process and questioned the constitutionality of the NPSC’s role in police appointments.
By Andrew Kariuki
