The recruitment of 10,000 police officers almost failed to take place after a serious dispute arose between senior leaders in the police service. The disagreement was between Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) chairperson, Dr. Amani Komora.
The two leaders could not agree on who, by law, had the mandate to conduct the recruitment exercise. This standoff stalled the process, even though President William Ruto had directed that new officers be hired quickly.
It took long meetings that stretched late into the night and the intervention of top government officials, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei, to bring peace. After hours of talks, a breakthrough was reached last Thursday night during a full commission meeting held at NPSC headquarters in Nairobi.
The meeting ended close to midnight with an agreement that both sides would share responsibility. The Inspector General and his team will now handle the technical side, such as competence checks, while the commission will provide oversight.
To make this work smoothly, recruitment will take place over six days, from October 3 to October 9, instead of being done in a single day as in the past.
However, not all issues were settled. The question of who should control the police payroll remains unresolved. For now, the IG will continue managing the payroll, but the commission will have access whenever necessary.
The standoff had grown intense, with letters exchanged between IG Kanja and NPSC officials. At one point, the commission even announced it was withdrawing some powers it had given to the IG, sparking more tension.
Sources revealed that senior government officials, especially CS Murkomen and Mr. Koskei, played a big role in convincing both sides to compromise. Their behind-the-scenes meetings paved the way for the final deal.
With the agreement now in place, the much-awaited police recruitment will go on as planned, giving thousands of young Kenyans a chance to serve their country.
Source: Daily Nation
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