Kenyans keen to join the police service must be ready to sit exam

Kenyans seeking to join the National Police Service will from next year be subjected to rigorous multi-phased recruitment criteria which include taking a written examination.

Unlike in the past where candidates underwent physical fitness tests in a single day only, aspirants will henceforth be required to submit written applications once vacancies are declared.

Chairman of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) Johnstone Kavuludi said that the changes contained in the new National Police Service Commission’s (Recruitment and Appointment) Regulations, 2015 are part of the reforms being undertaken by the commission.

The NPSC and the Inspector-General of Police will have a hand in the recruitment as opposed to the current situation where the entire exercise is delegated to the Inspector-General.
“We are changing things to ensure those who want to join the service are thoroughly vetted by introducing new methods of conducting recruitment which will not be based on physical tests,” said Mr Kavuludi.

He added: “The applicants will be required to sit examinations and only those who pass the written exams will proceed to the second phase,” said the NPSC boss.

After the applications, the Regulations state: “The commission shall prepare a shortlist of applicants taking into consideration gender, regional and ethnic balance and conducting due diligence on the shortlisted applicants which includes examining their backgrounds.”

And in order to get rid of situations where certain communities dominate the police force, the NPSC will distribute vacancies based on the national ethnic ratio.

The shortlisted candidates will undergo physical, aptitude and medical assessments and the verification of presented documents.

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After the second phase, the list of successful candidates will be sent to the NPSC for final analysis to ensure compliance with all requirements before publishing the names in the selected local dailies.

The commission will then start issuing admission letters to the candidates notifying them of the colleges to report to.

The commission will also provide time for appeals to ensure disputes are dealt with before the recruitment is finalised.

The new regulations will clip the enormous powers police commissioners and the IG have over recruitments.

But the IG will have the final say on the numbers required for recruitment and prepare facilities for training. He will, however, be required to consult the Commission on every step.

“We are creating a situation which will allow transparency in the exercise. The IG has his role to play and the Commission has some work to do also. There will be consultation from time to time,” Mr Kavuludi said.

NPSC Director for Human Capital Management Fredrick Mugambi told the Sunday Nation that the commission is keen on ensuring that reforms take root.

“These regulations will ensure a perfect exercise and only those who applied and get shortlisted will have a chance of being recruited,” Mr Mugambi said.