The planned recruitment of 10,000 police constables scheduled for Monday, November 17, 2025, has been halted after the High Court sitting at the Constitutional and Human Rights Division issued temporary orders stopping the exercise.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued the directive following an urgent application filed by petitioner Eliud Matindi, who challenged the constitutionality of the recruitment process initiated by the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the National Police Service (NPS).
In his petition, Matindi argued that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) is the only body constitutionally mandated to recruit police officers under Article 246(3)(a) of the Constitution. He contended that the IG has no legal authority to conduct recruitment without express delegation from the Commission.
According to court documents, the NPSC had on September 19 announced plans to recruit 10,000 police constables citing its constitutional and statutory mandate. However, the exercise was halted by the Employment and Labour Relations Court (ELRC) on October 2, with Justice Hellen Wasilwa later ruling on October 30 that the NPSC could not proceed with the recruitment and granting the IG permission to carry out the exercise instead.
Following the ELRC ruling, the IG issued a fresh advertisement announcing a new recruitment drive across 422 centres nationwide, slated for November 17.
However, the High Court’s latest intervention has now placed the process on hold once again, pending the determination of constitutional issues raised by the petitioner.
Justice Mwamuye stated that the case presents “substantial constitutional and public interest questions” that must be resolved before any recruitment can proceed.
The matter will be mentioned on January 22, 2026, to confirm compliance and for further directions.
The ruling marks the latest twist in the ongoing legal tussle between the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) and the Inspector General (IG) over who holds the legal mandate to recruit police officers in Kenya.