All new cadets will report to police colleges on November 17, the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has announced.
Appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and National Security on Tuesday, NPSC Chief Executive Officer Peter Leley confirmed that the government plans to recruit 10,000 police constables in the 2025/2026 financial year.
“Our target with the planned recruitment of 10,000 police constables is to ensure the process is conducted with transparency, fairness, integrity, inclusivity, and full legality,” Leley assured lawmakers.
The NPSC CEO, however, has not yet confirmed the specific recruitment dates. Instead, the Commission has stated that it will announce the highly anticipated dates on September 11.
He further revealed that the impasse between the NPSC and the National Police Service (NPS) over recruitment roles has been resolved.
The Commission, as the employer, will now oversee the exercise, ensuring that it adheres to established procedures and meets the country’s security needs.
The recruitment exercise is expected to strengthen police numbers nationwide, while the cadets will be trained to address concerns over accountability in the recruitment process.
According to the commission, an online system will be used to recruit 10,000 police constables.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting between the commission and the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, the commission's chair, Amani Komora, revealed last week that NPSC will be adhering to new regulations laid out in the National Police Service Commission Recruitment and Appointment Regulations Act, 2025.
The planned mass recruitment comes after the government froze the exercise in 2022 due to budgetary constraints and the need to consolidate on recurrent expenditures as per the advisories of Kenya's lending partners, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
In May this year, in its latest Public Finance Review, the World Bank also indicated that inefficiencies in payroll management, excessive allowances, and unchecked staff expansion, particularly at the county level, are straining public finances and undermining service delivery.
It proposed another two-year hiring freeze in Kenya’s public service to save money and tame the burgeoning national wage bill.
Despite the proposals, the government has been forced to reckon with the reality of addressing staffing in the security sector, which is a critical pillar of the economy.
There hasn't been a mass recruitment to Kenya's disciplined forces for three years, leaving thousands of young people who wanted to join the services in limbo.
