By Suleiman Mbatiah
The National Police Service Commission is rolling out a nationwide invitation for public input on its proposed Draft National Police Service Commission (Recruitment and Appointment) Regulations, 2025.
This move follows the commission’s call for greater transparency and stakeholder involvement in how Kenya recruits its police officers and to shape the future of policing in Kenya.
The commission’s CEO Peter Leley said the proposed regulations are meant to “streamline the framework for recruitment, promote transparency, and ensure merit-based selection.”
Under the commission’s mandate (Article 246 of the Constitution), this is a key step toward modernizing policing in Kenya.
The public participation phase is already underway. The commission has scheduled forums in 17 regions across the country. These will give citizens, alongside government bodies, professional associations, religious organizations, academic institutions and civil society groups, the chance to contribute written memoranda or engage directly in discussions.
Leley emphasized that the regulations’ success hinges “on the quality and diversity of feedback received from stakeholders across the board.”
At the heart of the conversation are the Constitution-based values of governance, particularly Articles 10 and 232, which underscore openness, integrity and public participation.
These forums, he said, “serve as critical platforms for dialogue,” helping the public to review and shape a recruitment process that reflects their expectations and standards.
A spokesperson for a Nakuru-based civil society group said: “This is exactly the kind of engagement we’ve been calling for. Letting people see and shape the recruitment rules is a step in the right direction.”