Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja has filed an urgent application at the High Court seeking to lift orders that suspended the recruitment of 10,000 police constables, warning that the delay poses a threat to national security ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The application, filed under a certificate of urgency at the Milimani Constitutional Court, follows a November 10, 2025, ruling that temporarily halted the exercise after a petition by Eliud Matindi challenged its legality.
In his filings, IG Kanja accuses the petitioner of concealing a recent ruling by the Employment and Labour Relations Court, which affirmed the Inspector-General’s constitutional authority over police recruitment under Article 245(4)(c) of the Constitution.
“The petitioner deliberately failed to inform this court that the same dispute was conclusively determined three weeks ago,” Kanja states, arguing that continued suspension could paralyse police operations amid rising insecurity.
The Labour Court ruling in question removed the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) from the recruitment process, affirming that the IG holds the power to employ, assign, promote, suspend, and dismiss members of the service.
Kanja warns that the freeze on recruitment — coupled with retirements and resignations — has left the service severely understaffed. He further cautioned that with just 21 months to the general elections, failure to hire and train new recruits in time could leave the country exposed.
“Elections demand massive security deployment. Time is required to train the police officers before they are deployed to handle security matters in the country,” the IG emphasised.
He also notes that the Court of Appeal is currently hearing a related case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and the NPSC challenging the Labour Court’s ruling, and urged the High Court to stay proceedings pending the appellate decision.
“The conservatory orders were issued without jurisdiction on account of the principle of sub judice,” Kanja argues.
Meanwhile, the contested court orders will remain in place until January 22, 2026, when Matindi’s petition will be mentioned for further directions.
Matindi maintains that the recruitment of police officers falls exclusively under the NPSC as provided in Section 10(2) of the National Police Service Commission Act, terming the IG’s recruitment initiative unconstitutional.
