The dispute over the recruitment of over 10,000 police officers has taken a new turn, with the National Police Service Commission urging the Court of Appeal to overturn a ruling that allowed the Inspector-General to lead the process.
The commission argued on Monday that the exercise proceeded under a framework that ignored the constitutional limits of the Inspector-General’s role.
It claimed that Inspector-General Douglas Kanja stepped into a responsibility reserved for the commission, creating a process that lacked the standard legal order guiding the recruitment of new constables.
According to the NPSC, last month’s recruitment across the country was carried out “in a vacuum, stripped of the statutory and regulatory safeguards that ordinarily anchor transparency, fairness, and merit.” The commission said the absence of proper structure threatened to undermine accountability and the integrity of the selection process.
The matter stems from a judgment delivered on October 30 by the Employment and Labour Relations Court, which held that hiring police officers falls under the National Police Service as a national security body.
That ruling also invalidated sections of the National Police Service Act, saying they weakened the independent authority of the Inspector-General.
The commission warned that by eliminating the National Police Service Commission (Recruitment and Appointment) Regulations, the judgment removed the rules that protect fairness in recruitment.
It added that the decision essentially dismantled the system designed to ensure an orderly and credible process.
“That moment illustrated a system operating without its compass, where a constitutional function proceeded without the laws meant to give it coherence, legitimacy, and public confidence,” the commission stated.
The Court of Appeal is expected to give its decision on February 27, 2026. Before this appeal, a High Court case temporarily halted the recruitment of the 10,000 constables, though the injunction was later lifted to allow the exercise to continue.
The NPSC argued that keeping the employment court’s ruling in effect would transfer its constitutional role to the Inspector-General and gradually reshape the structure managing the National Police Service workforce.
