The highs and lows of police recruitment in Kenya

An Administration officer checks on the fitness of one of the recruits at 64 stadium in Eldoret for Soy recruit centre. [Photo: SILAH KOSKEI/STANDARD]

NAIROBI: A rare spectacle unfolded at Iten playground during the Kenya Police Service recruitment drive when a ballot was cast to determine who between two recruits was to be enlisted.

The two from Tambach division had tied on the score sheet prompting the recruiting officer Ambrose Oloo to write two ballots with a ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ and whoever picked the former was to qualify.

He said the potential recruits had tied in almost everything required and there was no other way of eliminating one of them.

“This was the only option to display fairness without locking out anybody and the public were there to witness the two picking the ballot and the one who picked ‘No’ disqualified himself,” said the officer adding that over 800 candidates turned up for the exercise.

Eventually, Sammy Biwott 28 carried the day.

Lady luck was also with Gilbert Kemboi after he qualified for the second time to join the service.

Kemboi, 28, was recruited last year but the exercise was cancelled due to malpractice. Kemboi was not alone as 21-year-old Whitney Cheptoo from Kipkelion West, Kericho County was also picked for a second time.

Cheptoo was picked as one of the six females to join the police in the recruitment drive held in Kipkelion town. But in Malindi, Nassir Bakari ran out of luck as he was denied a chance to serve in the General Service Unit when officers discovered that his home district was in Lamu County.

“I participated in the exercise at this same place and was successful. How come today I am being told that my home district is Lamu and not Malindi?” he wondered.

The recruitment was marred by claims of tribal discrimination against non-native youths and a boycott by non-African minorities in Mombasa and Kilifi counties.

KIDNEY INFECTIONS

Nyali MP Hezron Awiti Bolo claimed that so called upcountry youths from his constituency were barred from seeking recruitment in Mombasa. Sources told The Standard that youths from Rabai in Kilifi and Kwale counties were allowed to participate in the Mombasa recruitment.

And in Malindi town 10 per cent of the women who turned up were found to be suffering from diabetes and kidney infections.

In Taita Taveta scores of youth were locked out of the exercise after it was discovered that the names on their identity cards did not tally with those on their education certificates. There was poor turnout in Voi, Mwatate, Wundanyi and Taveta and this was also replicated in Nakuru East where only 89 men and 22 women turned up.

In Kericho town, a University of Nairobi sociology and psychology graduate, Robert Kemboi, 27, was eliminated in the preliminaries because he could not close his left eye.

In Ainamoi, two men Moses Langat and Philemon Cheruiyot were arrested for attempting to cheat by riding on boda bodas during the running course. And over 100 youths from Moiben constituency missed out on the police recruitment after the venue was changed from Kipchoge stadium to Moiben at the last minute.

Recruitment was smooth in Samburu County, where 94 youths were picked to join the service.

Speaking in Malava, National Police Service Commission Chairman Johnston Kavuludi said the few complaints they have received were “due to ignorance by the candidates”.

In Chwele, Bungoma, one candidate collapsed and died during the exercise after failing to complete the race. Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, who visited over five recruitment centres in the county, said the exercise was transparent and fair.

 —Report by Fred Kibor, Nikko Tanui, Silah Koskei, Alex Wakhisi, Boaz Kipngenoh and Patrick Kibet