As thousands of Kenyans queue on Monday for a chance to join the police, with 10,000 constable positions up for grabs, a new Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission report has exposed deep flaws in the recruitment process.
According to the anti-graft body’s report, based on a study conducted between February 10 and June 13 this year, the examination found that bribery, political interference, and outdated manual procedures have long undermined the recruitment of police constables, cadets, specialists, and civilian staff.
EACC found that the recruitment of police constables frequently ignored established regulations, with skewed advertisements, inconsistent selection criteria, and absent complaint mechanisms creating opportunities for graft to thrive, issues the commission said would make it difficult for the NPS to attract and retain qualified officers.
At the same time, the report found that the practices are not only common in the constables' recruitment but also in the cadets' recruitment, where, in 2021, for instance, serving graduate officers were excluded from an exercise that brought in about 300 cadets directly from the public, leaving experienced officers demoralised and feeling that their qualifications were overlooked.
Additionally, the commission found that specialist recruitment within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) lacked clear criteria, leading to discretion, favouritism, and corruption in the selection of officers for key units such as forensics and cybercrime.
Regarding the recruitment of individuals with talent in sports and the arts, the report also found similar vulnerabilities: NPS lacked structured criteria for identifying and admitting such candidates, creating room for bias and unfair selection.
Further, on civilian staff recruitment, the report detailed that in November 2023, for instance, successful applicants had their initial appointment letters downgraded after resigning from previous jobs, causing financial loss, emotional distress, and reputational damage to them.
“In January 2025, about 1,000 civilian staff were recruited, but many reported to their duty stations without any formal induction,” the report noted. “New employees had no clear understanding of the Service’s mandate, structure, policies, or expectations, leading to role confusion, delayed integration, and non-compliance with institutional protocols.”
Adding that: “Staff were assigned across services and regions without reference to staffing needs, workload analysis, or an approved deployment plan. For example, an accountant sent to Busia County had no substantive work to perform, as all financial functions were handled at the County Treasury.”
Meanwhile, the report also noted that there were human resource management gaps within the service, including the failure to finalise a Human Resource Policy and Procedures Manual for civilian staff. This has created avenues for discretion, bias, and other unethical practices in the management of personnel.
To address these systematic gaps, EACC recommended that the Inspector General and the Chairperson of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) fast-track development and implementation of the HR manual to enhance transparency, accountability, and standardised processes.
The Commission also called for complaint-handling desks to be set up at all the recruitment centres and members of the public to be informed of the same, as well as for the process to be automated to address the inequities.
