High Court Halts Police Recruitment Exercise Across Kenya
The High Court has temporarily stopped the much-anticipated recruitment of 10,000 police constables by the National Police Service (NPS).
In a ruling made on Monday, November 10, Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued a conservatory order suspending the entire process until a case challenging the recruitment is fully heard and decided.
“Pending the hearing and determination of the petitioner’s application, a conservatory order is hereby issued suspending the Notice of Recruitment of Police Constables/Officers issued on November 4, 2025,” Justice Mwamuye stated in her order.
The ruling was delivered at the Milimani Law Courts after activist Eliud Matindi filed a constitutional petition questioning the legality and fairness of the recruitment exercise announced by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja earlier this month.
The NPS had scheduled the recruitment drive for November 17, 2025, to take place across all sub-counties in the country.
However, following today’s court orders, the National Police Service and any related bodies have been directed to immediately suspend all recruitment, facilitation, or implementation activities related to the hiring of police constables until the petition is heard and resolved.
Justice Mwamuye made it clear that the orders are binding not only on the named respondents — including the State and the police leadership — but also on any other individuals, institutions, or agencies involved in or supporting the recruitment exercise.
The judge further instructed the petitioner to serve copies of the application, petition, and court orders to all respondents and interested parties by November 12, and to file an affidavit confirming that service was completed.
Additionally, Justice Mwamuye attached a penal notice, cautioning that any person or entity found disobeying the court’s directives would face serious legal consequences, including potential penalties or sanctions.
This suspension marks the latest challenge to the ongoing recruitment process, which had already faced controversy following a recent ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court.
On October 30, Justice Hellen Wasilwa had ruled that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) does not have the constitutional authority to recruit police officers. In her decision, she clarified that the power to recruit, train, assign, suspend, and dismiss police officers rests solely with the National Police Service (NPS) and not with any other external institution.
After that ruling, the NPS officially took charge of the recruitment process and announced that the upcoming exercise would be open, fair, and transparent, assuring the public that there would be no favoritism or corruption. The service also outlined strict eligibility requirements for interested applicants.
According to the NPS, candidates must be Kenyan citizens aged between 18 and 28 years, possess a valid national ID, and have attained at least a D+ in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), including a minimum D+ in either English or Kiswahili.
In addition, applicants must be physically and medically fit, with male candidates required to be at least 5 feet 8 inches tall and female candidates 5 feet 3 inches tall.
The police service also specified that female applicants should not be pregnant at the time of recruitment or during the training period.
The High Court’s suspension now places the entire recruitment drive in limbo, leaving thousands of hopeful applicants waiting for clarity as the legal battle unfolds.
The case is expected to set an important precedent on how police recruitment is handled in Kenya, particularly regarding which institution has the rightful authority to oversee the process.
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