Graduate chiefs in protest over unfair recruitment terms

Interior CS Prof Kithure Kindiki inspects a guard of honour mounted by a section assistant county commissioners at APTC, Embakasi, on November 25, 2022. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

Amid a proposal to assign chiefs police officers, those with degrees are a demoralised lot for not being promoted.

They are particularly unhappy that whenever internal vacancies in government arise, they are not considered to fill those positions yet they qualify by virtue of being degree holders.

Citing the 450 vacancies for position of Assistant County Commissioner in the Ministry of Interior two years ago, graduate chiefs claim most of them applied but never made it to the shortlist.

While pouring cold water on the proposal by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to have chiefs assigned five police officers from next January, the disgruntled chiefs say there is no need of them having cops when the government does not reward or recognise merit.

Interior Cabinet Kithure Kindiki recently stirred the hornet's nest when he announced that starting January all chiefs will have at least five police officers assigned to them.

According to the chiefs, 150 of their colleagues were successful with the remaining vacancies being filed with applicants from outside Public Service.