- Court clears recruitment of 10,000 police officers after petition is dropped.
- Sheria Mtaani had earlier challenged the exercise, citing constitutional issues.
- Petitioners say they received over 20,000 calls from youths and parents urging withdrawal.
- Judge Lawrence Mugambi allows withdrawal, paving the way for recruitment to start.
The High Court has allowed the recruitment of 10,000 police officers to continue after a case that had temporarily challenged the exercise was formally withdrawn on Tuesday.
The petition had been filed by lobby group Sheria Mtaani through lawyers Danstan Omari, Shadrack Wambui, and Cliff Ombeta. The group had asked the court to stop the recruitment, which was scheduled to begin on October 1, citing disputes between the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).
The Attorney General, representing the state, had opposed the petition. The state argued that stopping the recruitment would interfere with the constitutional role of the IGP as outlined in Article 245, which gives him independent command over the Service.
Justice Lawrence Mugambi had quickly taken up the matter and ordered the parties to return for a full hearing on Tuesday.
When the case came up today, lawyer Danstan Omari told the court that the group had decided to withdraw the petition. He said Sheria Mtaani received more than 20,000 calls and messages from young people and their parents requesting that the matter be dropped.
Omari explained that many applicants had already travelled to recruitment centres ahead of the exercise. He further noted that the country urgently needs more police officers due to preparations for the 2027 General Election and ongoing international missions that have strained the Service.
“The petitioner has applied to withdraw the applications dated August 11 and September 9, 2025, in totality,” said Omari.
Justice Mugambi accepted the withdrawal, confirming that the nationwide recruitment exercise will proceed as planned on Wednesday.
