MPs oppose use of online system in police recruitment

The National Assembly Committee on Administration and Internal Security is opposed to plans to use ="https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/national/article/2001519037/police-service-commission-digitises-recruitment-after-years-of-manual-exercise">an online system< in the upcoming police recruitment exercise, saying it may disadvantage some sections of the population.

The committee members, including the committee’s Vice Chairperson and also the Saku MP, Rasso Dido, Francis Sigei (Sotik) and Protus Akuja (Loima) said that although the idea is welcome, it cannot be used immediately, given the magnitude of the exercise, and because the internet does not well cover some areas.

They are concerned that some parts of the country risk being locked out if the upcoming recruitment adopts the online process, yet it has not been undertaken for three years now.

The process to recruit 10,000 police officers is expected to commence next month, with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) expected to actively take part in the exercise as part of locking out fraudsters.

“As a representative for the Asal and marginalized areas and for Kenya in 2025, I will not support, maybe when Kenya is fully industrialised. The digital pathway you want to put us into… I am sorry, I cannot buy it. It is too expensive.” Rasso said.

Other members of the committee said the perennial network failure in some parts of the country could see some sections being disenfranchised while enlisting in such a crucial exercise.

“Some areas do not have internet connectivity at all. What happens to them? Does it mean they will be completely locked out? In some areas, the youth do not have smartphones,” Akuja said.

The MPs made the remarks on Tuesday when the National Police Service (NPS), National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) appeared before the committee to apprise it on the progress of the upcoming police recruitment.

Among those present were Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, NPSC Chief Executive Officer Peter Leley and IPOA Vice Chairperson, Anne Wanjiku.

In a recruitment exercise, the Commission declares the number of proposed officers to be recruited and invites applications from suitably qualified applicants to be trained as Police Constables to apply, which is expected to be done through the PRS.

According to NPSC, the 2025 police recruitment was designed to introduce a major paradigm shift by adopting a digital and online recruitment process through the Police Recruitment System (PRS).

The system, said Leley, is designed to guarantee transparency, competitiveness, efficiency, fairness, and accountability.

“All recruitment activities will be logged in the PRS, enabling auditability and accountability. Equally, applicants can submit complaints or appeals which will be tracked and resolved through a dedicated module in the system,” NPSC explained.

To ensure national coverage and promote equitable representation, the Commission has mapped out 356 recruitment centres across all the 290 constituencies in the country.

This includes recruitment centres used in previous exercises, with the Commission expected to gazette new ones should the need arise and additional centres may be introduced to improve geographical reach, reduce overcrowding, and address emerging administrative and population dynamics.

The recruitment centres will be selected based on constituency population sizes, geographic accessibility, security and logistical feasibility, availability of public infrastructure and historical performance and capacity during previous recruitment cycles.

The current police to population ratio is 1:509, which they said is below the United Nations average of 1:450, with the police strength reduced by almost 5,000 to natural attrition since the last recruitment was in 2022.