The National Police Service (NPS) has confirmed the postponement of the countrywide recruitment of 10,000 police constables, scheduled to begin on Friday, October 3.
In a statement on Thursday, October 2, NPS stated that the cancellation followed a court order halting the exercise.
“In accordance with the Order of the Employment and Labour Relations Court, issued on 2nd October 2025 in Petition No. E196 of 2025 (Harun Mwau v. Inspector General of Police, the National Police Service Commission & 2 Others), the police recruitment exercise scheduled to commence on 3rd October 2025 has been postponed until further notice,” read the notice in part.
NPS Speaks After Court Blocks Nationwide Police Recruitment
NPS stated that, in conjunction with the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), it is actively pursuing appropriate legal remedies to ensure the recruitment exercise can resume at the earliest opportunity.
“As a Service, we remain committed to upholding the rule of law and complying with court orders,” the statement read further.
This comes after the Employment and Labour Relations Court temporarily suspended the planned police recruitment exercise following an urgent petition challenging its legality.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa issued interim conservatory orders halting the entire recruitment process until the petition is heard and determined.
“Interim conservatory order is hereby issued staying the entire recruitment pending resolution of the Petition,” Justice Wasilwa ruled.
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Justice Wasilwa also ruled that the Respondents have seven days to file their responses.
The Petitioner was also granted seven days to file a further affidavit and submissions.
In addition, the court directed the Petitioner to file written submissions within the same seven-day window.
The case will be mentioned on October 21, 2025.
The ruling was issued in response to a petition filed by John Harun Mwau against the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
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Petition Seeking to Stop Recritment Withdrawn
The court order comes just days after the Constitutional High Court in Milimani approved the withdrawal of a separate petition filed by civil society group Sheria Mtaani and activist Shadrach Wambui, which had also sought to suspend the nationwide police recruitment.
The petition had sought conservatory orders restraining the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the NPS from proceeding with the recruitment exercise.
The group argued that the exercise cannot go ahead while a constitutional dispute over payroll management remains unresolved.
The petitioners, however, later informed the court that they had received overwhelming appeals from young people urging them to drop the matter.
Appearing before Justice Lawrence Mugambi at Milimani High Court in September, their lawyer, Danstan Omari, said they had received more than 20,000 calls and messages from youths and parents across the country requesting the withdrawal.
“Many young people had already travelled to recruitment centres using limited resources,” the petitioners submitted, noting that blocking the exercise would not serve the public interest.
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