Recruits move to court to stop fresh exercise

Kenya: About 100 youths whose recruitment to Kenya Police Service was quashed by the High Court have moved to court seeking to stop fresh recruitment.

Moses Kurgat representing 47 youths and Ainea Burache representing 48 others filed a suit seeking to have the recruitment stopped.

High Court Judge Weldon Korir, however, certified the matter as urgent and asked the two to file and serve the parties before the hearing on Monday.

Kurgat and Burache will now serve National Police service (NPSC) and the Attorney General who have been named as respondents in the matter.

At the same time, the High Court has rejected a plea by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) to stop the recruitment

Justice Weldon Korir, however, certified the case as urgent and asked IPOA to file and serve the parties before the hearing on Monday.

The recruits wants the court to stop the exercise until the matter is heard and determined.

They said NPSC’s decision to recruit new officers is illegal as there is a matter touching on the recruitment that is yet to be determined by the courts.

The recruits through lawyer Amos Magut further stated that the decision is highly prejudicial despite the urgent need to boost security in the country.

“NPSC’s decision as communicated through the media, on its intention to repeat the recruitment exercise of police constables and the decision to advertise is utterly illegal since the appeal will be rendered insignificant,” the lawyer argued.

Instead of carrying out fresh recruitments as ordered by the High Court, he said, NPSC decided to appeal before the Court of Appeal.

“They should therefore await the decision of the court of appeal,” Magut said.

Ipoa moved to court in August last year to challenge and recruitment exercise that had just been concluded. They asked the court to nullify the entire exercise due to corruption allegations.