The National Police Service (NPS) on Tuesday denied reports that there was a mass recruitment exercise penned for January 2024.
This was after reports were widely circulated that the Service would recruit nationally starting Friday, January 5.
Members of the public were warned of falling prey to individuals who were sponsoring and circulating the advert.
“We wish to inform the public to disregard the fake news circulating on social media platforms regarding the purported recruitment into the National Police Service in January 2024,” NPS stated in an official statement.
The NPS fell short of informing the public when the actual recruitment would take place.
NPS is in its second year running without a recruitment exercise, a situation that has been a source of concern to Police Inspector General Japhet Koome.
In May 2023, IG Koome decried before the National Assembly that the police force was seriously understaffed due to many police officers leaving the force without replacement.
Efforts to hold a recruitment exercise in April 2023 were blocked by the Treasury, which cited financial constraints.
“I cannot see. Even my eyes cannot see recruitment in 2024. I can only see 2023,” Koome complained then.
The Treasury advised that the recruitment exercise be postponed to April 2024 and be funded via the 2023/2024 financial year budget.
NPS is yet to state if the recruitment will be held in three months' time as earlier proposed by the Treasury.
In November 2023, President William Ruto directed NPS to prioritise officers from the National Youth Service (NYS) in its future recruitment drives. Following President Ruto’s order, 80 per cent of police recruits will be NYS graduates.
