Woman dies during police recruitment as hundreds turn out for drive

A 27-year-old woman collapsed and died in Bungoma as she struggled to outrun other youths who turned out for a police recruitment drive yesterday.

Running was part of a fitness test the youths had to undergo as the National Police Service sought to enlist 10,000 recruits across the country.

Ms Jenipher Wamocho from Lugusi village in Webuye East fainted and was rushed to Webuye sub-county hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

LIMITED OPPORTUNITY
The incident happened at Pan Paper grounds in Webuye town, one of the 292 recruitment centres where the exercise was simultaneously conducted across Kenya.

Thousands of enthusiastic youths arrived at the centres hoping to join the various units of the police but a majority were turned away because only few vacancies were available.

Each centre was allocated a few places because recruitment regulations demand that the intake should reflect the face of Kenya by ensuring there is regional, ethnic and gender balance.

National Police Service Commission chairman Johnston Kavuludi said the death was unfortunate.

“It is sad that we lost an aspiring recruit who was working hard to join the Police Service to serve her country,” he said.

Mr Kavuludi added that the turnout was overwhelming.

He said: “In some centres where between 18 and 20 recruits were required, up to over 300 people turned out. Other large centres had a turn out of 500.”

Mr Kavuludi later met the family of Ms Wamocho.

CHEATING
He blamed the absence of the health officers during the recruitment for her death, saying she could have been saved.

In Machakos two young men were arrested for cheating during the physical fitness test.

Igembe South OCPD Jane Nyakeruma, who was in charge of the recruitment drive at Kangundo, said the two joined the race midway.

At the Police Pavilion in South B, Nairobi, a General Service Unit officer was arrested on allegation of corruption by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives.

He is being investigated for receiving Sh149,000 from a parent whose son was among those seeking the police jobs.

EACC spokesman Yasin Aila said detectives were sent to monitor the exercise incognito.

The exercise was also being monitored by Independent Policing Oversight Authority officials.

The civilian oversight authority further opened hotlines to receive complaints from the public.

HOTLINE NUMBERS
The telephone numbers – 0741-423-191 and 0786-824-426 – will be operational between 6am and 10pm until Saturday.

In Mombasa, Taita Taveta and Kilifi counties, a majority of youths were sent away after they failed medical tests.

This was blamed on drug abuse which is widespread at the Coast.

In Nairobi, more than 300 youths sought the police jobs at Nyayo Stadium.

Only 90 passed the education requirement and the physical fitness test.

Only 31 recruits were required from the centre that was attending to applicants from Kibra.

NYS MEMBERS
In Kilifi, hundreds of youth turned up at the Karisa Maitha football pitch in Kilifi town to try their luck.

Officer in charge of the exercise Matawa Muchangi, who is also Malindi OCPD, said some of the recruits were locked out after arriving late.

The largest turn out in Nairobi was at the National Youth Service headquarters in Ruaraka.

Ex-servicemen held a protest there, saying they had been locked out of the exercise.

Recruiting officers said they were under instructions to give priority to serving NYS youths.

Mr Kavuludi said successful candidates would be issued with docket numbers, popularly called D Numbers, which are basically letters inviting them to training colleges.

He said the recruits would report before June.

The Nation independently learned that the recruits would report to college on May 19.

This is unlike last year when the list of successful candidates was forwarded to commission’s headquarters in Nairobi for scrutiny before the recruits were invited for training.

In Kisumu, Kakamega and Nyamira, a majority of youths who completed high school last year were locked out of the recruitment process in Kisumu due to lack of certificates.

FAKE PAPERS
A lady was arrested in Kisii County for presenting a forged Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education certificate.

Agnes Monyenche, 26, admitted presenting fake documents and was taken into police custody.

In Kakamega County, hopes of some 50 youths who turned up for the recruitment at the Bukhungu Stadium were dashed after they turned away for lack of good conduct certificates.

The youths from five wards of Butsotso East, Butsotso South, Butsotso Central, Shieywe, Mahiakalo and Shirere were disqualified after they failed to present official receipts indicating they had applied for the documents.

In Nyamira, assistant Chief Inspector of Police Joseph Kaitany expressed concern over the high number of school leavers who turned up for the recruitment in Nyamira and Kisii counties.

EMPLOYMENT
Mr Kaitany, who was in charge of the recruitment in the region, said recruitment officers had a hectic time filling a few slots allocated for each sub-county due to the high number of job seekers.

In Kisumu, 2016 Form Four candidates were locked out of the recruitment process due to lack of certificates.

The decision made by the National Police Service Commission together with the Ministry of Education acted as one measure to eliminate hundreds of eager job seekers who turned up to various grounds to try their luck.

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS

Ms Fatuma Okoth Onyango, one of those turned away at the Jomo Kenyatta Sports Grounds, said she had only brought her results slip.

“I have some fee balance, so I have not picked my certificate yet,” she told the Nation.

In Nyeri, NPSC commissioner Ronald Musengi said the recruits will be vetted when they join their respective training colleges.

“Even some officers were found to have fake academics in past vetting exercises. So today’s recruitment is really a preliminary exercise and recruits will go through a thorough screening when they join colleges,” said Mr Musengi.

In Wajir East, 124 youths turned up but only 24 youths sailed through the first exercise which involved academic qualification.

Four girls turned up but only one qualified.

In Tarbaj sub-county no female recruit met the D-plus academic threshold forcing the recruitment officers to get the females who had qualified from other centres but had failed to secure a spot.

In Isiolo, most of the youths were turned down for lacking birth certificates.

Out of the 126 candidates, only nine comprising eight men and a female made the cut. 

Lower Yatta sub county police commander Francis Muriuki who supervised the exercise said some applicants did not meet the requirements.

—Reported by Brian Ocharo, Winnie Atieno, Mohamed Ahmed, Kazungu Samuel, Stella Cherono, Fred Mukinda, Gastone Valusi, Titus Oteba, Flora Koech And Titus Ominde, Anita Chepkoech, Henry Nyarora, Geoffrey Rono, Elgar Machuka, Shaban Makokha, Judy Mito, Bruhan Makong, Manase Otsialo, Irene Mwendwa, Nicholas Komu, Ken Bett, Vivian Jebet and Grace Gitau