Police recruitment: Man collapses, dies after finishing race

By Standard Team

A young man collapsed and died after taking part in a 6km race during a police recruitment exercise in Kisii.

The 20-year-old, who collapsed immediately after he finished the race at Keroka Stadium, died at Gucha District Hospital.

All potential police recruits are required to take part in the race to gauge their fitness.  Keroka divisional police chief Rol Mondoni said the cause of the death was yet to be established.

Shocked friends and relatives of the deceased, who had escorted him to the recruitment exercise, said he was in good health condition prior to his death.

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 oversaw the exercise countrywide.

There are 4,000 vacancies to be filled for Kenya Police constables and 3,000 for AP and 700 cadets who must be university graduates.

The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and other observers say the exercise was above board.

Recruits will go through 15 months of training at the Administration Police Training College, Embakasi and Kiganjo Police College, Nyeri. 

The minimum requirement for recruits was C (plain), up from the previous D (Plain).

The minimum age has also been raised to between 18 and 28 years for KCSE certificate holders and 30 years for those with specialised skills.

Disappointment

Most youths who turned up for recruitment in Kwale County were turned away because they failed to meet the educational requirement.

However, recruiting authorities at Jomo Kenyatta Primary School in Msambweni were authorised to lower entrance grade for Kwale County to a mean grade of C minus.

NPSC chairman Johnstone Kavuludi has expressed disappointment over the low turnout of women in Kisumu East District.

Kavuludi, who was on an impromptu tour to monitor the recruitment at Kisumu’s Moi Stadium, said low turnout of women might affect the required one-third gender rule in the exercise. The exercise was also marked by poor turnout in Nyeri, Nakuru, Nyandarua and Embu, among other areas.