Police launch recruitment

By Cyrus Ombati
KENYA: The national joint recruitment of more than 7,000 police trainees kicked off Thursday morning with an announcement it will be done over 24 hours to prevent corruption and block aspirants from applying at several centres.

Recruits will be asked if they want to join the Administration or Kenya Police before they are allowed to join the colleges in December.

The National Police Service Commission announced it will take place at all the 286 district headquarters, to pave way for a 15-month training programme at the Administration Police Training College, Embakasi, and Kiganjo Police College, Nyeri. 

This is after the completion of the national exams and it will be the first time to be conducted by the newly created commission.

Commission chairman Johnston Kavuludi said the recruits must apply for the vacancies by filling forms at the centres, and those successful will be informed today.

The recruitment would supplement the police population ahead of the 2013 General Election, during which security agencies anticipate an upsurge in criminal activity.

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 be invited to oversee the exercise.

The minimum requirement for recruits is 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 specialized skills.

"The mean grade will be C except for places where there would be none. That, however, has to be exceptional for the recruits to be taken and the issue of gender has to be observed," said Kavuludi.

The exercise is likely to lock out thousands of youth still waiting for their identification cards.