Sh1.2m fine for recruits who leave police service before 10 years

Police officers inspect recruits during the police recruitment exercise in Shinyalu, Kakamega county yesterday. [Mumo Munuve, Standard]

Recruits who may want to join the National Police Service and then resign before serving for ten years will be forced to pay the government Sh1.2 million.

Naftaly Rono, a police commissioner with the service said this will be to compensate the government for the investment on the said recruit.

Rono said those willing to join the service must be motivated by passion since the government will invest in them, a reason it would demand the money from those who desert or drop out from the service.

"Let it be clear to all recruits who will be joining the service, do it if it is your passion and not a hobby, if a police officer thinks of leaving the service, they will be expected to pay the government Sh1.2 million an investment the government has done on an individual officer," said Rono.

The commissioner who spoke in Kerugoya during a pre-recruitment clinic and youth career guidance also urged those with medical conditions to keep off the recruitment exercise as they may be exposed to harm and even death during the vigorous training period.

"We have lost recruits during training period due to undisclosed illness, if there is any recruit with underlying issues, let him keep off since their lives are more important than this job," said the police commissioner.

He announced that the commission is projecting on having at least 5,000 recruits to join the police service.

The recruitment he said targets form four leavers with a mean grade of not lower than D+.

Rono said in some remote areas, the commission may however consider lowering the grades so as to have the required numbers and equal representation from across the country.

According to the police commissioner, they will admit both females and males, unlike last year when they blocked out females from the recruitment which aimed to get officers to man borders and the special units.

"Last year we did not have a single slot for women, the reason was that we needed men who would join the General Service Unit (GSU), Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU) and the border patrol unit," Rono rxplained.

On his part, Kirinyaga County Commander Matthew Mang’ira said the government has embraced a new training policy and a syllabus which encompass technology in a bid to keep up with emerging trends that now involves the use of technology in committing crimes.

 "The service has developed a training policy on information technology and how to solve crimes related to technology," Mang'ira added.

The recruitment exercise in Kirinyaga will be conducted next week.