Maraga Reforms: Why lobby groups want fairness in police recruitment

A Kenya Police recruiting officer guides hopeful recruits through a physical drill at Kapkures in Nakuru West Sub-county during the ongoing police recruitment exercise. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] Two years after the Maraga Taskforce exposed corruption, political interference, and ethnic bias in police recruitment, the exercise concluded last month under conditions critics say perpetuated the same systemic dysfunction. The exercise, intended to add 10,000 officers to the service, was marred by confusion, inconsistent testing, abrupt disqualifications, and alleged manipulation of selection lists. Across the country, recruitment fields were half-empty, as potential recruits stayed away, convinced that the process is not done on merit. While speaking in Machakos, Inspector General Douglas Kanja described the exercise as smooth and transparent. "The exercise has been good all over the country, and I have not received any complaints. I am looking forward to the exercise being concluded promptly and the right people joining the service," he said. On November 10, there was uncertainty over the exercise after activist Eliud Matindi sought the court's intervention to suspend police recruitment, arguing that only the Inspector General and not the National Police Service Commission have authority under Article 246(3) of the Constitution to recruit. READ: Court paves way recruitment of 10,000 police officers next week Four days later, the Milimani High Court allowed the exercise to proceed temporarily, with the matter scheduled to come up on January 22, 2026. A task force on police reforms led by former Chief Justice David Maraga documented a service riddled with corruption, tribalism, and cronyism. According to the report, recruitment slots were reportedly sold while qualified applicants without political ties were excluded. The 500-page report recommended the use of automated recruitment, stricter oversight, higher entry standards, enhanced training, and transparent career progression. "Every day the process is delayed, and every manipulation that goes unchallenged deepens divisions, undermines cohesion, and erodes public trust," said the report in part. One of the most remarkable observations from the field visits by the task force was the public scepticism about whether its recommendations will ever be implemented or make any difference. The report said partial, administrative reforms had failed to address deeper structural and legislative gaps. A Kenya Police recruiting officer guides hopeful recruits through a physical drill at Kapkures in Nakuru West Sub-county during the ongoing police recruitment exercise. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard] "A significant percentage of slots in any recruitment process is allocated to the political elite, leaving only a few for merit selection," the report added. According to the EACC, NCIC and the Maraga task force, Corruption remains entrenched. A 2025 survey by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission ranked police officers as Kenya's most corrupt public officials, far ahead of tax authorities and county inspectorates. EACC CEO Abdi Mohamud warned that corruption undermines national security and public trust. The report further noted that officers with disabilities are largely excluded, and those injured on duty are retained in light roles, leaving communities vulnerable. Human rights organisations have been even more critical, with Vocal Africa calling for a disbandment and fresh recruitment, citing abuses such as extrajudicial killings, torture, abductions, and sexual violence, the very issues the taskforce documented. ALSO READ: Police constables to be recruited next month, NPS says "Organisations proposed a series of systematic changes to combat corruption. They suggested that leaders devolving police to regional commissioners responsible for the recruitment, oversight, and disciplining of officers raise the minimum academic requirement for recruits, increase the intake of female officers, and empower independent watchdog bodies to ensure oversight, such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority and the National Police Service Commission," Vocal Africa said. Political pressure and public distrust Political unrest has intensified scrutiny of the service after the 2024 Anti-Finance Bill nationwide protests escalated into violent demonstrations in July 2025, leaving at least 31 protesters dead and more than 500 arrested. The government said that it was recruiting 10,000 officers, though only half that number is budgeted. Interior PS Raymond Omollo said Kenya currently has one officer per 688 civilians, below the UN-recommended ratio of one officer per 450. Yet of 106,830 officers on payroll, barely 50,000 actively engage in frontline duties, leaving gaps that exacerbate insecurity. Applicants reported inconsistent testing, abrupt disqualifications and intimidation from alleged 'cartels' within the service. Other candidates narrated hours of waiting with no instruction and being called randomly, calling the process 'humiliating and demoralising'. Maraga recommendations The Police Reforms Working Group-Kenya (PRWG-K), a consortium of 21 civil society organisations including Amnesty International Kenya, FIDA-Kenya, and Transparency International, has called for full implementation of the Maraga recommendations. Police officers conducting physical extermination on a man during the national police Service recruitment exercise at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi on November 17, 2025. [Kanyiri Wahito, Standard] Their priorities include Independent, merit-based recruitment with automated processes, Transparent career progression and vetting of officers, especially senior ranks, digitised Occurrence Books and traffic management systems to curb corruption, community policing and operationalisation of County Policing Authorities and better equipment, welfare, and mental health support for officers. "The taskforce found the service faces myriad challenges: underfunding, endemic corruption, poor leadership, inadequate human capital management, and structural failures," PRWG-K notes. The consortium also warned against the National Youth Service serving as a direct pipeline into the police, citing favouritism and nepotism in recruitment. ALSO READ: 10,000 police jobs on hold amid IG recruitment row PRWG-K criticised the Executive's continued interference, noting that Cabinet Secretaries have directed operational decisions contrary to the Constitution, eroding the Inspector General's independence. They also emphasised the need to restore competitive recruitment of senior NPS leadership, including the IG and DCI Director, to safeguard professionalism. "Political goodwill from the highest office will be critical for the success of this process," the group said, calling for a national policing conference to build momentum for reform. Despite warnings, President Ruto's administration has yet to implement deeper reforms. They say the incomplete execution of the Maraga recommendations allows corruption, favouritism, and political influence to persist, keeping Kenya's police service widely distrusted. Civil society groups insist that the government must make the full Maraga report public and act decisively to restore integrity and professionalism to the National Police Service. Until then, the recurring chaos in recruitment and the continuation of entrenched corruption reflect a service still struggling to break free from decades of systemic failure. While warning that Kenya's security and public trust are at stake, the police reforms group said that without urgent reform, the National Police Service risks remaining a service defined by favouritism and political expediency rather than merit and accountability. "Serving as an officer is a larger calling and a national security issue; we recommend that NPS applications be competitive to all qualified persons," the group said in a statement.

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