10,000 police officers to be recruited

By CYRUS OMBATI

Kenya: The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) plans to recruit 10,000 officers by the end of next month.

The commission met on Friday and appointed a team to spearhead the exercise after Treasury allocated it Sh2.9 billion for the recruitment exercise.

Unlike in the past where regular police and Administration Police were recruited on diverse dates, the commission has agreed, this time round, to conduct the exercise on the same day to reduce cases of corruption and other malpractices.

NPSC Chairman Johnston Kavuludi said that in the meeting they discussed, among other things, administrative matters and the planned recruitment.

“We deliberated on the matter and agreed it will be towards the end of June and, we have formed a team to spearhead the exercise,” said Mr Kavuludi.

Training period

This will increase police population to almost 100,000. Unlike the group of more than 7,000 personnel who graduated last month, the next team will be trained for nine months.

Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo who was in the meeting said the earlier 15-month training was wasting a lot of time for the officers.

“We have agreed the training will be nine months because we need these officers out here as soon as possible,” he said.

The recruitment would supplement the police population ahead of the 2017 General Election, during which security agencies anticipate an upsurge in crime.

Officials drawn from the local District Security and Intelligence Committees, Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, the public, church leaders and the ministries of Education and Health will oversee the exercise.

The minimum requirement for recruits will be a C (plain), up from the previous D (Plain). The minimum age has also been increased to between 18 and 28 years for KCSE holders, and 30 years for those with specialised skills.

Officials said there are 4,000 vacancies for Kenya police constables and 6,000 for AP — among them cadets, who must be university graduates.

The police to population ratio in Kenya stands at 1:800, against the 1:400 recommended by the United Nations for efficient and effective policing.