New government system to facilitate online police recruitment
The IG emphasized the need to modernize the recruitment process to prevent the fraud cases that have been reported in previous years.
Police officer recruitments will now be conducted online, announced Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja during his address to the Senate Committee on National Cohesion, Equal Opportunity, and Regional Integration.
In his statement on Friday, the IG emphasized the need to modernize the recruitment process to prevent the fraud cases that have been reported in previous years.
This response came after the committee inquired about the measures the National Police Service would take to educate the public, especially the large crowds that gather for recruitment, about avoiding scams by fraudulent officials promising fake police job opportunities.
"The numbers that turn up for these recruitments are actually overwhelming, because of the numerous cases of fraud, but this must stop, and the way we can stop this is by leveraging technology to close the fraud gaps," Kanja said.
In Kenya, the police recruitment process has traditionally been carried out through physical assessments, where candidates present themselves at designated centers with the necessary documents.
However, a significant change is on the horizon with the introduction of an online recruitment system.
The National Police Service (NPS) is set to implement this new system, which was recently unveiled to the Inspector General by Mr. Peter Leley, the CEO of the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), just a week ago.
This transition aims to streamline the recruitment process and enhance efficiency.
Candidates will apply through the online system by submitting the necessary documents. Only those shortlisted will proceed to the next stage, which involves a physical assessment in the field.
This process contrasts with the traditional manual recruitment approach, where all applicants are required to gather in the field for both document verification and physical assessment.
"The Police Recruitment System is an online platform designed to streamline the recruitment process for the police service. It aims to eliminate issues such as fraud, delays, inefficiencies, data entry mistakes, and duplication of information, significantly improving the overall process," the NPS explained.
The Senate committee also highlighted the issue of ethnic imbalance within the workforce.
The IG emphasized that the new system will help reduce ethnic dominance, fostering greater equality and consistency.
Leley, who attended the committee session, emphasized that the new automated system would enhance transparency and accountability in the recruitment process, lower costs, improve the applicant experience, ensure secure reporting of fraud incidents, and foster consistency and fairness, among other advantages.
To date, the National Police Service (NPS) has not held a nationwide recruitment drive in three years, with the Inspector General attributing the delays to financial limitations.
