National Intelligence Service cancels recruitment

By STANDARD REPORTER

NAIROBI, KENYA: The recruitment of new National Intelligence Services officers has been cancelled, according to a paid up advertisement appearing in Friday newspapers.

The Service first advertised for the positions of graduate trainees on February 7. It said that a dynamic organisation in the public sector “wishes to recruit trainees” for the cadres of Diploma Trainees and Graduate Trainees.

It is not yet clear what led to the revocation.

The Diploma Trainee applicants were supposed to be between the age of 20 and 30 years, and have a Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination mean grade of C. In addition, they were required to be holders of a college diploma “earned over at least 18 months of study in a recognised institution”.

The Graduate Trainees, on the other hand, had their age requirement extended by a year as compared to those of diploma holders.

The last time the Service recruited new officers was in mid-2012. The said officers graduated about two weeks ago after an “intense” training programme.

The National Intelligence Service, previously known as the National Security Intelligence Service, has its origins in "Special Branch" a department of the national police that was created in 1952 under the British administration.

The body, which is divided into seven divisions, is mandated with detecting and identifying any potential threat to Kenya and advising the President and Government of any security threat to Kenya. It also vets people that may hold positions that require security clearance.

The Service has in the past been accused of “sleeping” on the job, a claim that was bitterly refuted by its boss Michael Gichangi especially in the wake of the Westgate Terror attack.

A bill is to be tabled in the House that seeks to give the Service more teeth to carry arms and arrest suspected criminals.