The planned recruitment of new police officers has hit a major setback after the Employment and Labour Relations Court suspended the exercise until a petition challenging the process is fully heard and determined.
The decision was issued by Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa, who granted interim conservatory orders halting the recruitment following an application filed on September 30, 2025.
This suspension means that the exercise, which was scheduled to take place in the coming days, will not go on until the court gives its final verdict on the matter.
Justice Wasilwa directed the respondents in the case to file their responses within seven days, after which the petitioner will also have a similar period to submit a further affidavit and written submissions.
The case is expected to return to court on October 21, 2025, when compliance will be confirmed and the submissions highlighted. Until then, the recruitment process remains frozen, leaving thousands of interested applicants in uncertainty.
The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) had earlier announced that it would recruit 10,000 police officers across the country, a move that was seen as a major step in addressing manpower shortages within the service.
The notice, published in a local daily on September 19, 2025, invited eligible Kenyans to download application forms, fill them out, and present themselves at designated centres for consideration.
The exercise was planned to run between October 3 and October 9, 2025, across 416 recruitment centres nationwide.
The requirements stated that applicants needed to be Kenyan citizens aged between 18 and 28 years and possess at least a D+ in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).
This announcement had been widely welcomed by many young Kenyans seeking job opportunities, especially at a time when unemployment levels remain high. However, the suspension now leaves the fate of these opportunities hanging in the balance.
The planned recruitment had already been surrounded by tension following a long-standing standoff between the NPSC and the National Police Service (NPS) over how the process should be carried out.
Initially, the commission had proposed a new model requiring applicants to apply and be shortlisted before reporting for the physical vetting exercise.
This proposal was later dropped, and it was agreed that all applicants would be allowed to present themselves on the recruitment day with duly filled forms.
With the suspension now in place, the dispute surrounding the process has moved from internal disagreements to the court corridors.
Eyes will be on the court to determine the next step in a recruitment exercise that was expected to shape the future of policing in Kenya.
