The National Police Service (NPS) has announced a nationwide recruitment exercise for 10,000 new police officers, scheduled for November 17, 2025. The move aims to strengthen human resource capacity and improve service delivery across Kenya.
The recruitment will follow the Constitution of Kenya and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) Act, and the NPS emphasized that the process is free, fair, and merit-based, warning the public against bribery or corruption, which will lead to automatic disqualification.
Background and Legal Context
The announcement follows a ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court that the NPSC has no constitutional authority to recruit police officers. Justice Hellen Wasilwa declared that police recruitment, training, assignment, suspension, and dismissal fall exclusively under the NPS, not any external body.
The court nullified the recruitment drive previously announced by NPSC Chairperson Peter Lelei and issued a permanent injunction preventing the NPSC from conducting any future recruitment or personnel management functions.
Current Police Staffing Context
Analysts note that Kenya currently has 50,000 police officers, significantly below the recommended minimum of 95,000 officers to meet the standard ratio of one officer per 450 citizens. The new recruitment aims to partially bridge this gap.
The NPS stresses that the exercise will comply with all legal frameworks and encourages citizens to participate responsibly.