Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has expressed disappointment over a court order halting the planned police recruitment exercise, warning that the decision poses a serious risk to the country’s security.
Speaking on Thursday during the Jukwaa la Usalama forum in Nairobi County, Murkomen stated that the government had been preparing to hire 10,000 police officers starting Friday, October 3, 2025, to address what he described as a pressing need of officers nationwide.
“We are disappointed by the court’s decision to temporarily halt police recruitment, especially given the acute shortage of more officers. However, we will respect the law and postpone the exercise. We hope the issue will be resolved as soon as possible so that our young people can be enlisted to bolster security,” he said.
The CS explained that the shortage had reached a critical level, prompting the government to scale up initial plans.
“There is a shortage of police officers in many parts of the country. Initially we wanted to employ 3,500 police officers. Because of that, we requested His Excellency the President to bring us together with Treasury, and it was agreed that we hire 10,000 police officers,” Murkomen stated.
While noting that he cannot directly engage with the judge who issued the order, he stressed that halting the recruitment process jeopardizes a vital initiative that has not taken place for four years.
“I wish I would be allowed to call the judge directly to understand the consequence of a court order stopping recruitment of police that has never happened for the last four years. It is very critical for the safety of our country to recruit those police officers urgently, not just because of anything else, to secure our borders,” he added.
The CS further explained that the shortage of officers was caused by retirements and natural attrition, which have left many vacancies. Murkomen asserted that the new recruits are essential for securing national borders, strengthening internal security, and supporting preparations for the next general election.
“There are many retired police officers, and some have passed on. We need to replace them and bring in energetic police officers who will be trained on-site to even support the next election. I hope the recruitment process is expedited so that our country can quickly fill the urgent need for police officers,” he said.
Despite his frustration, Murkomen stressed that the government will abide by the legal process and expressed hope that the judge who issued the order would reconsider her decision and allow the recruitment to proceed swiftly.
“I hope that the judge will watch my speech so that I don’t need to call her, and will apply reason to ensure that the process is reopened quickly to allow our country to recruit the police officers it so badly needs,” he said.
The recruitment exercise was scheduled to begin tomorrow, but will now remain on hold pending further court directions.
