The High Court of Kenya has temporarily lifted the ban on the contested national police recruitment and may now proceed on Monday as earlier scheduled.

The process was suspended on November 10, 2025, by Justice Bahati Mwamuye.

The process was halted following the petition that was filed by the activist Eliud Matindi.

The court’s directive brings some relief to the agencies that were assigned to coordinate the nationwide recruitment, which was thrown into a legal tussle over who controls the recruitment mandate.

According to Justice Mwamuye, the 1st Interested Party was to serve its application and the latest orders on all parties and file an affidavit of service ahead of the case management session slated for November 17, 2025.

What Made the Court Stop Police Recruitment

Matindi ‘s petition challenged the legality of the recruitment exercise that is being conducted by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, and led the judge to bar the exercise.

Inside the petition, Matindi said that the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), not the Inspector General, is constitutionally mandated to handle recruitment into the National Police Service under Article 246(3)(a) of the Constitution.

However, on September 5, 2025, NPSC had submitted documents in court about plans to recruit 10,000 police constables as per the constitution.

Also Read:Six Dead,Several Others Injured in Ghana Army Recruitment Stampede

When Recruitment Was Also Suspended

On October 2, 2025, the recruitment exercise was also suspended due to a separate court order in Petition No. E196 of 2025, Harun Mwau, Vice Inspector General of Police, among others.

However, the Inspector General later announced fresh recruitment on November 4, 2025, through a new advert stating that the recruitment exercise will be done across 422 centres countrywide on November 17, 2025.

This came after a court battle between the National Police Service (NPS) and NPSC, whereby the latter was found to be the rightful body to oversee the recruitment exercise.

Also Read:High Court Stops Fresh Recruitment of 10,000 Police Officers

The High Court again declared the NPSC advertisement unconstitutional on October 30, 205, stating that the recruitment mandate lies with the NPS.

According to Matindi’s petition, IG is not legally required to undertake recruitment without express delegation from the NPSC as required under Section 10(2) of the National Police Service Commission Act.

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Police IG Douglas Kanja appearing before the National Assembly Security Committee on September 9, 2025. PHOTO/Parliament.