Promotion interviews for police start amid favouritism claims

Interviews for the promotion of police officers have begun across the country amid concerns over the limited number of slots, favouritism and conflict over the application of different criteria in promoting Administration Police and those from the Kenya Police Service.

Up for grabs are about 3,500 slots against a pool of more than 50,000 junior officers, some of who have stayed in the same rank for over a decade and have become disgruntled due to lack of career progression.

Yesterday, it was the turn of constables across the country to face promotion boards at the ward police headquarters for the first round of interviews. The boards, which largely consist of the ward commander, DCIOs and other senior officers of the ward, will then forward the names of those who have passed to the regional promotion boards.

A constable is the junior-most officer in the National Police Service. A newly recruited constable earns about Sh20,000. In an effort to boost morale, the government in February promoted 1,702 police officers, who had stayed in one rank and served for more than 30 years.

But to eliminate corruption, tribalism and nepotism, the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) has introduced new promotion boards. They are expected to use a structured method to promote officers in line with the police reforms, whose implementation began last year.

“You are directed to plan and hold well-constituted boards and forward minutes to police headquarters latest October 2 without fail and with updated individual personal files filed with station, division and county formation board minutes,” reads a memo from Vigilance House to all police bosses sent on September 18.

Teething problems

Promotions within the Kenya Police Service and the Administration Police are being carried out at the same time. KPS and AP were merged last year as ordered by President Uhuru Kenyatta to improve services and ensure a clear command structure so as to prevent duplication of roles.

“Service promotion boards shall on behalf of the Inspector-General carry out interviews for candidates seeking to be promoted in the service and after such selection, forward the names through the service channels to the IG, who shall submit the names of the officers to commission to be considered for promotion,” says Section 34 of the Police Standing Orders.

While their uniforms, command structures and stations have become aligned despite a number of teething problems, the methods being used to promote officers from the two former separate units appears to be discriminating against one group.

Police officers, who recently crossed from AP to join KPS, are up in arms over the different set of requirements for them and those originally from the National Police Service.

Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai was confronted with this question during his bi weekly “Engage the IG” on social media.

He failed to answer it and referred the person who asked it on Twitter to raise it with his superiors.

“Those are internal policy issues that will be answered through your internal commanders after consultation with service commanders,” said Mr Mutyambai.

Some 25,000 APs joined the NPS in 2019 when the changes were announced making a force of 64,000 officers. According to Career Progression Guidelines for National Police Service Personnel created by NPSC in 2018, all officers have to pass some law exams before being promoted. 

For one to be promoted from a KPS constable to corporal, for instance, the guidelines say they must have “passed at least three Police Law Examination Papers and met the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, on Leadership and Integrity.”

Sibling rivalry

Then for one to be promoted from an AP constable to corporal they must have, “successfully completed Potential Non Commissioned Officers’ course lasting not less than three months and passed basic AP Law examinations.”

It is this difference in evaluation criteria that is causing friction within the service as those who were formerly APs say they are being unfairly locked out.

While the National Police Service says the matter will be sorted out internally, it insists that the exams are the only way to end corruption in police promotions and create a culture of constantly improving competencies among officers.

Meanwhile, the sibling rivalry between the AP and KPS continues to disrupt smooth security operations in the country.

Some analysts say the merger, although well-intended, was hastily executed without laying down a good working formula.

“It may take quite a while before the teams, as constituted, can read from same script. All have different training, doctrines, formations and esprit de corps," said Security Consultant Oscar Lusiola, in an opinion carried by the Daily Nation.