The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi has issued a temporary order halting the recruitment of 10,000 police officers, dealing a legal setback to the National Police Service (NPS).
The recruitment was to start Friday, October 3, 2025.
The ruling, delivered on Thursday, October 2, 2025, by Lady Justice Hellen Wasilwa, came in response to a petition filed by John Harun Mwau against the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
According to the court documents, an interim conservatory
order was issued, staying the entire recruitment process until the petition is
fully resolved.
"Interim conservatory order is hereby issued, staying the entire recruitment pending resolution of the Petition," the court stated in its ruling.
The order directs the IG and NPSC to file their response within seven days, while the petitioner is allowed the same period to file further affidavits and submissions.
The court also scheduled the next mention on October 21, 2025, to confirm compliance and address highlighted submissions.
Notably, the court order comes just days after the Constitutional High Court in Milimani approved the withdrawal of a separate petition filed by civil society group Sheria Mtaani and activist Shadrach Wambui, which had also sought to suspend the nationwide police recruitment.
The petition had sought conservatory orders restraining the Inspector General of Police (IG) and the NPS from proceeding with the recruitment exercise.
The group argued that the exercise cannot go ahead while a constitutional dispute over payroll management remains unresolved.
The petitioners, however, later informed the court that they had received overwhelming appeals from young people urging them to drop the matter.
Appearing before Justice Lawrence Mugambi at Milimani High Court on September, their lawyer Danstan Omari said they had received more than 20,000 calls and messages from youth and parents across the country requesting the withdrawal.
“Many young people had already travelled to recruitment centres using limited resources,” the petitioners submitted, noting that blocking the exercise would not serve the public interest.
The recruitment of 10,000 police constables in the national exercise was set to start on October 3 to 9, 2025.
The National Police Service Commission met the joint recruitment panels at the Administration Police College, Embakasi "A" Campus for a comprehensive briefing ahead of the exercise.
Inspector General of the National Police Service, Douglas Kanja, reiterated the Service's commitment to conducting a credible and transparent recruitment exercise.
He urged the officers taking part in the exercise to ensure the integrity of the process by shunning corrupt practices, which will strengthen public trust in the National Police Service.
