Social media advert on police hiring fake, warns Kavuludi

Chairperson of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) Johnston Kavuludi [PHOTO/DAVID NJAAGA/Standard]

The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has warned against con men claiming police recruitment is slated for April 20.

NPSC Chairman Johnston Kavuludi said they were yet to decide when the exercise would be conducted.

He was reacting to a fake advertisement circulating on social media claiming the exercise was set for April 20, 2016 and urged the public to ignore it.

"The message, which is a replication of the 2015 newspaper advertisement on recruitment of police constables is false, misleading and mischievous," said Mr Kavuludi.

He added they would soon make a formal announcement on the date, requirements and centres of recruitment.

"Members of the public are advised to ignore messages from unauthorised sources," he cautioned.

It has also emerged that the exercise, aimed at recruiting 10,000 officers, could be derailed following sharp divisions in the commission over modalities to be used to select officers.

At the centre of the confusion and controversy is whether NPSC should use the new regulations gazetted last year in accordance with the High Court and Appeal Court rulings, or revert to the old recruitment system, which could expose it to litigation.

"Unless the commission implements the new regulations as ordered by the court, someone could easily rush to the courts to challenge the exercise if they decide to use the old system that is being agitated for by senior police officers in the commission," a legal expert at NPSC warned.

On March 1, President Uhuru Kenyatta, while officiating the General Service Unit pass out parade, called for immediate hiring of 10,000 officers to boost security, in addition to bridging the police:population ratio.

The exercise had been slated for end of this month but indications are it may not take place immediately as the President directed, owing to differences among NPSC members.

Commissioner Murshid Mohammed chaired a meeting last Monday to review the recruitment formula that would be adopted to hire fresh officers, but no solution was arrived at.