The High Court has issued new orders on the recruitment of 10,000 police constables.
In a ruling on Friday, November 14, the court lifted earlier orders that had halted the recruitment, clearing the way for the National Police Service (NPS) to proceed with the national exercise.
The decision follows an application filed by the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, seeking to have the suspension vacated.
The initial stoppage was issued earlier this week, when Justice Bahati issued fresh conservatory orders stopping the nationwide recruitment that had been scheduled for Monday, November 17, 2025, after petitioner Karanja Matindi filed an application challenging the legality and transparency of the planned exercise.
In a ruling delivered on November 10, the judge halted the notice issued by IG Kanja, stating that the recruitment could not proceed until the court examined the issues raised in the petition.
“Pending the inter partes bearing and determination of the Petitioner/Applicant’s Notice of Motion Application dated 06/11/2025, a conservatory order be and is hereby issued staying the operation, application, implementation, and/or further operation, application and implementation of the Notice of Recruitment of Police Constables/Officers issued on 04/11/2025 by the 1st Respondent,” read part of the ruling.
The court further directed that the matter would return for mention early next year. In the ruling, Justice Bahati ordered that the case “will be mentioned on 22/01/2026 to confirm compliance and to take directions on the expedited hearing and determination of the application and/or petition.”
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The November 10 orders marked the second time the court had intervened to halt the recruitment, raising concerns within NPS about operational delays and understaffing. It is against this backdrop that IG Kanja moved back to court seeking to have the suspension lifted.
With the latest orders now lifting the suspension, NPS is legally permitted to resume preparations for the recruitment of the 10,000 officers, although the underlying petition challenging the process remains active before the court.
Earlier court ruling on Police recruitment
NPS had announced a nationwide police recruitment drive, a day after the Employment and Labour Relations Court ruled that the mandate for police recruitment lies with the Office of the Inspector General of Police and not the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
Justice Hellen Wasilwa in a judgment delivered on Thursday, October 30, stated that the recruitment, training, and assignment of duties to police officers fall exclusively under the mandate of the NPS.
She further observed that, since NPSC is not tasked with overseeing internal security under the Constitution, it has no authority to conduct or supervise the recruitment of police constables.
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In her ruling, the judge faulted the Commission for allegedly violating Article 239 of the Constitution as she dismissed the recently advertised nationwide police recruitment exercise.
Justice Wasilwa’s ruling came after the court, on October 2, issued a temporary order halting the recruitment pending the determination of a petition filed by Harun Mwau. The recruitment exercise had initially been scheduled to begin on Friday, October 3, 2025.
Harun Mwau argued in the petition that the Constitution vests independent command of NPS and provides that no person may give direction to the IG regarding the employment, assignment, promotion, suspension, or even the dismissal of any member of the service.
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