Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda has requested the Kenya National Police Service to provide a detailed breakdown on the current ethnic and county composition of the police service ahead of the nationwide recruitment exercise.
The senator raised this request before the Senate Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on Wednesday, seeking answers on the ethnic and county distribution of the over 100,000 officers in the service.
That's not all; Ojienda also wants to know the distribution of officers from each region in terms of cadres and ranks a sof September 30, 2025.
Ojienda’s request comes as the NPS recruitment drive for the 10,000 police constables looms. The recruitment drive was set to start from October 3 to 9 countrywide, but was halted by the court.
Senator added that the committee should also provide the selection system, including the criteria, quota and methodology that the current recruitment process will use.
Insisting that the exercise should be done to adhere to the Constitution of Kenya by making sure that there is fairness in the representation of all communities in Kenya.
Ojienda also wants NPS to clarify the framework for deployment.
Breaks on Recruitment
On October 2, NPS postponed the recruitment after the Employment and Labour Relations Court granted an injunction after a petition was filed challenging the entire process.
"In accordance with the Order of the Employment and Labour Relations Court, issued on 2nd October 2025 in Petition No. E196 of 2025 (Harun Mwau v. Inspector General of Police, the National Police Service Commission & 2 Others), the police recruitment exercise scheduled to commence on 3rd October 2025 has been postponed until further notice," an NPS statement read.
NPS, however, did not reveal when the recruitment would resume, but the body confirmed that they were pursuing legal avenues to ensure that the exercise is resumed.
"The National Police Service, in conjunction with the National Police Service Commission, is actively pursuing appropriate legal remedies to ensure the recruitment exercise can resume at the earliest opportunity," part of the statement read
During the ruling, Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa directed the respondents, the National Police Service Commission and the Inspector General of Police, to file their responses within seven days of October 2.
Petitioner, Harun Mwau, was also asked to file a further affidavit and written submissions seven days after October 2.
The case has cast yet another cloud over the already controversial process, which has been underway for nearly three years.
