Ugly tales as Kenyans pass ‘vote of no confidence’ in police recruitment

Isiolo AP commander Fredrick Ochola checks a youth who turned up for AP recruitment in Isiolo.

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Kenya Police Service recruitment concluded last week has been described as the biggest scam involving Kenya’s uniformed forces.

Leaders and the public say the exercise was not credible and should be nullified. The Parliamentary Security Committee has also dismissed the process, saying it was not above board. “I am a member of the House Security Committee investigating the exercise and we shall soon make a report to Parliament. Their outcry and personally, I feel the police did not do a good job and have characteristically refused to reform from a force to a police service,” said Gatanga MP Humphrey Njuguna.

He added: “Recruits who get in through corruption are likely to be corrupt at the end of their training.”

In Kitale, a parent said his daughter came first in all recruitment tests but her name was not in the list of successful recruits.

Speaking to The Standard on Sunday in Kitale, the frustrated father, who sought anonymity for fear of reprisals, claimed open bias and that hefty amounts of money changed hands, delaying the exercise into the wee hours of the following day.

“It was a game for the highest bidders. Those who gave out little money were refunded as those who offered more took their chances,” he said before walking away in protest.

In Marakwet and West Pokot, angry residents are yet to come to terms with what they describe as the most brazen cases of bribery. On Wednesday, they barricaded roads in protest.

“People are so angry. They believe what happened should not go unchallenged. They are demanding justice,” said Marakwet ODM chairman Samuel Chemweno on telephone.

Protestors claimed three siblings were recruited in dubious circumstances in Marakwet.

In Uasin Gishu, two residents have petitioned Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo to determine their fate over what they termed segregation. Japheth Kiplagat Maiyo from Turbo constituency and Dickson Korir from Soy constituency protested that their dismissal from the recruitment was because they hold “O” and “A” level certificates from Uganda, despite going through university education in Kenya.

Maiyo is a graduate of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology from where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in disaster management and international diplomacy (second class honours lower division). He wonders why he was rejected yet his application was at the graduate level.

“The advert I saw in one of the daily papers clearly stated that D+ was the minimum qualification for KCSE certificate holders whereas degree holders were to be between 28 and 30 years and thus I do not understand why I was sidelined by the panel,” he said. The disappointed 28 year-old argued they should have been allowed a probation period to convert the grades in line with the Kenyan system even if the panel’s concerns were genuine. “Does studying in Uganda make me less of a Kenyan? As part of the reforms in the police service, the IG should look for means through which all Kenyans from all backgrounds can access the police service without bias,” he said. He expressed disgust at the turn of events, explaining that he went through secondary education at Bugema Adventist Secondary School courtesy of well-wishers and relied on bursaries to purse and complete university education at home.

Dejected job seeker

He sat dejected carrying an identification letter from his Assistant chief, a certificate of good conduct and a carefully completed and signed form from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

Korir on the other hand is a graduate from Moi University. He attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Penology Correction and Administration (Second Class, Upper Division). He said: “I studied at Kipsombe Primary School before proceeding to Bugema Adventist and Luwero Secondary Schools in Uganda for my ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels before joining Moi University in 2009.”

Allegations of bribery were widespread, but nowhere were the claims intense as in Nyamira County.

The Standard on Sunday learnt that some families sold land a few weeks to the recruitment in readiness for the big day. Influential businessmen and politicians reportedly canvassing for their candidates, also interfered with the exercise.

Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) have also been accused of arm-twisting recruiting officers.

Richard Mosota, a civil society activist, said the exercise was shambolic and not even the observers could detect the level of corruption that characterised it.

“Police were not taking the bribes directly, they were using proxies,” said Mosota.

Conmen too had a field day as they preyed on unsuspecting parents.

North Mugirango MP Charles Geni called for the nullification of the recruitment.

A candidate, who only identified himself as Kevin, was at Ekerenyo grounds in Nyamira North Sub County, where he passed every stage including medical examination but was not selected.

“There was a boy from Ikonge area who came last during the running competition and was kicked out. But he re-appeared during the medical examination, met somebody who asked the whereabouts of his father and whether he could afford Sh250,000. He was later granted a card and told his bid was successful,” claimed Kelvin.

From Eldoret to West Pokot to Nyamira and neighbouring counties, there were claims prospective recruits had to pay between Sh100,000 and Sh250,000.

Nyamira Senator Mong’are Bwokong’o also called for the nullification of the recruitment. He accused a local MP of colluding with recruiting agents to influence the process.

“There are thousands of youths who have interest in joining the police service and elected leaders should keep off and let fairness prevail,” he said.

Nyamira Governor John Nyagarama confirmed that allegations of massive corruption during the exercise had reached him. “I have heard the claims. I urge the government to expedite investigations to isolate facts from fiction,” he said.

The situation was not any different in other parts of Nyanza.

Beryl Akinyi, 20, travelled from Kisumu and showed up for the recruitment in her home county, Homa Bay, with the hope of joining the police force. She went for the recruitment at Onundo Stadium, Mbita constituency where thousands had turned up for the exercise.

Akinyi had her documents inspected, teeth, legs and eyes checked and even emerged third in the four kilometre race. She was among 300 that went for the laboratory test and underwent pregnancy, tuberculosis and blood pressure tests. Height and weight were also checked at this stage.

“I waited for the results for more than six hours up to 10pm in the night only to be dropped,” said a dejected Akinyi.

She added the exercise was so skewed that a number of people who were taken in were from Mfang’ano.

In Central, after the elimination of those who lacked the requisite grades at Nguthiru Primary School in Tigania East, the remaining youths raced to test their physical prowess.

Angela Kinya Mutuma, 21, outran her colleagues and was awaiting a favourable result at 5pm. She and other candidates had to wait until 2.30am to find out if they had been selected to join the police training but she was devastated when the final list was read out.

She said most of the people whose names were read out were not among those waiting at the venue. Emily Kathoka Makena emerged position two in Mikinduri Division only to learn she had not been selected when the final list was read at around 1.20am.

Locked out

“My certificates were in order and I am physically fit,” said Makena. “I felt cheated. Many of the candidates who qualified have been locked out because bribes were paid out to the recruiting panels.”

Igembe North MP Joseph M’Eruaki said: “It only benefited the highest bidder. It is the kind of thing that should not happen in this country. It was a shameless statement that only money counts in this country. The best thing is to cancel and repeat the whole exercise.”

The most outrageous incident took place at the recruitment of regular police at Laisamis where a police commander is alleged to have announced he had instruction to only pick youths from the Rendille community.

“Please do not waste your time if you are not a Rendille. This is the instruction I have from Nairobi,’’ he allegedly told hundreds of youths at Laisamis stadium. Scores of youth from other communities left the venue in disappointment and those who defied the directive and took part in the exercise were disqualified at the medical test stage.

Groups such as the Kirinyaga County Pastor’s Forum have demanded the recruitment be annulled and repeated, citing massive irregularities.

Bishop Daniel Njagi, the forum chairman claimed a senior administrator in Kirinyaga Central Sub-County harassed parents when they protested the inclusion of candidates who did not even take part in the exercise.

“We waited outside his office in Kerugoya town up to 10pm and on demanding to know the fate of our children, the administrator banged the table and told us to go wherever we wanted and that his word was final,” the cleric alleged.

-Story by Wainaina Ndung’u, Naftali Makori, Rushdie Oudia, Michael Wesonga, Titus Too, Munene Kamau, Phares Mutembei and Ali Abdi.