Fresh bid to move police recruitment online to curb graft

A recruiting officer checks the physical fitness of a recruit at Gusii Stadium during Kenya Police recruitment exercise on March 24, 2022. [File, Standard]

Whenever an announcement is made about police or military recruitment, many Kenyans conclude that those who are selected have 'godfathers' or must part with a bribe.

This has been so for years, including arrests of individuals selling fake admission letters around recruitment period.

On Monday, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja admitted in a TV interview that the vice has been deeply rooted during police recruitment, hence a new proposal to shift the application online.

"In recruitment, there is a lot of corruption, and that is something we know but this time round, I want to assure Kenyans that we are going to recruit the right people," Mr Kanja said.

Adding that, "You walk in, if you are qualified, you get recruited, any person who will go against that spirit, we are ready to take someone home and to jail."

Kanja said they have invited the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to review their systems, policies and operations to understand how the malpractice occurs. "The other day, I had an exit meeting with EACC and they are ready to provide us with a report which we commissioned way back in April," the IG added.

He said the EACC report revealed the areas still having challenges but clarified that they have information of how to arrest the vice.

This comes at a time when the service is gearing to recruit 10,000 police constables, while Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has announced recruitment next month.

This includes openings for General Service Officer (GSO) Cadets, Specialist Officers, Tradesmen/women and other specialised roles in fields such as education, engineering, ICT, mass communication, legal and supply chain management.

But according to Bilasio Wandera, a civic analyst on police, the exercise might not be transparent and will lock out many eligible youth yearning to serve. "It will lock out many young people because they don't have resources," said Wandera.

He added: "That does not guarantee that the exercise will be free and fair, it will open more windows for corruption."