Pregnant Police Recruits’ Dismissal Ignites Equality Debate, Commission Seeks Policy Reform

By Ongaga Ongaga
Public outrage has swept through Kenya after multiple female police trainees were removed from training programs reportedly due to pregnancy.
The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has highlighted constitutional deficiencies and policy failures in addressing pregnancy during police training.
The Commission recognized the statement from the National Police Service (NPC) confirming that the affected female recruits were already pregnant before joining the academy, noting that the matter concerned misconduct but rather the absence of clear guidelines to manage such circumstances.
“The constitutional matter requiring attention is not whether pregnancy interferes with participation in physically demanding training but whether the State has established, legal, balanced, compassionate, and non-discriminatory mechanisms for handling these situations,” stated NGEC Chairperson Rehema Jaldesa.
The Commission acknowledged that police training is rigorous, physically demanding, and operationally challenging, but warned that the lack of transparent policies may result in perceptions of arbitrariness and discrimination.
It called for a comprehensive revision of recruitment and training policies to align with Article 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality and prohibits discrimination.
NGEC stressed the need for multi-sectoral consultation involving oversight bodies, gender specialists, medical experts, and human rights stakeholders.
“Where recruitment criteria and consequences are not clearly defined, publicly communicated, consistently applied, and constitutionally validated, affected individuals may perceive administrative decisions as arbitrary, punitive, or discriminatory,” NGEC warned.
The Commission also requested greater transparency in recruitment to prevent forged documents and vetting failures, and better alignment of constitutional principles with practical realities in disciplined services.
It reiterated that equality does not mean disregarding biological realities but ensuring that state decisions are lawful, fair, and based on clear policy.
“The Commission remains committed to supporting reforms that strengthen constitutionalism, professionalism, equality, accountability, and public confidence within Kenya’s security sector institutions,” Jaldesa concluded.