Tension ran high in Tiaty Sub-County on Monday as angry residents stormed a police recruitment exercise, accusing the officials of allowing non-locals to take part in the process.
Armed with tree branches, they interrupted the proceedings, claiming that outsiders had infiltrated the recruitment and were being considered at the expense of local youth.
A video seen online shows the residents confronting the police officers on the field, shouting for the exercise to be stopped. At one point, they physically barred some of the candidates from doing the drills, arguing that many of the recruits “were not from the area.”
Chants of “It can’t go on!” and “Look, he’s not from here!” echoed throughout the grounds as police struggled to maintain order among the crowd.
But a well-known lawyer claimed on social media that some of the non-local candidates had come with cash to bribe their way into the recruitment process.
The lawyer said that the recruitment exercise in Tangulbei, Chemolingot, and Kolowa had been compromised by reports that non-locals were using money to influence officials. “We urge the National Police Service to step in immediately, enforce the recruitment policy fairly and ensure that local youth get the opportunities reserved for them.”
The chaos happened despite earlier assurances by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen that the nationwide recruitment exercise, scheduled as a one-day event from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in all 427 centres, was set to be free, fair, and transparent.
The controversy in Tiaty adds to growing concerns over the integrity of the recruitment exercise. A recent report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission already raised an alarm over deep-rooted irregularities within police hiring.
The study by EACC, which was conducted between February 10 and June 13, says police constable recruitment has traditionally been compromised by bribery, political interference, and cumbersome manual practices.
The report points out skewed job adverts, inconsistent selection standards, and the absence of effective complaints mechanisms as factors that the commission says have stifled the National Police Service from attracting and retaining competent officers.
Monday’s confrontation in Tiaty now adds real-time evidence to the very issues the EACC warned about, raising fresh questions on whether the police recruitment system can indeed deliver on fairness and transparency.
