Court Halts Police Hiring

In a significant ruling today, the Employment and Labour Relations Court declared the nationwide police recruitment exercise illegal, citing that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) lacks constitutional authority.

The decision, issued by Judge Hellen Wasilwa on Thursday, 30 October 2025, strikes at the heart of one of Kenya’s most entrenched institutional controversies: who holds the power over police recruitment, appointments and dismissals.

The court found that the recruitment, training and assignment of police officers is the sole prerogative of the National Police Service, acting under the command of the Inspector‑General of Police (IG), and that NPSC’s advertised drive—said to recruit 10,000 police officers—was unconstitutional.

This is not a mere technicality. The ruling strikes at institutional authority and raises serious questions about governance, accountability and the proper chain of command within Kenya’s security architecture.