No degree holders allowed in new police recruitment after pay row: NPSC

The Commision says that it does not want a repeat of disputes witnessed previously with graduate officers over salaries.

“In the adverts placed in various media platforms, we have indicated that we are recruiting police constables with minimum qualifications of D+ in their KSCE exam and it remains such,” NPSC official John Ole Moyaki said during a sensitization exercise in Kabarnet, Baringo County on Monday.

“There is a particular group for the advertised positions. We are advising those with degrees to wait for other positions to avoid labor issues.”

Moyaki urged graduates to pursue other opportunities to avoid frustration.

“We are not discouraging graduates from joining the police service, but there are better opportunities and higher job groups that would suit them, apart from the police,” he said.

“It would be ideal for potential recruits to adhere to the requirements set out in our advertisement.”

The service is seeking to recruit 5,000 new constables in the recruitment exercise, the Daily Nation reported on Wednesday.

Over 1,000 police inspectors got into a row with the employer last year protesting a move to cut their salaries. This is after the graduates who are under job Group J received Group F salaries which are meant for constables.

According to the officers, their November salaries had been slashed Ksh.30,000, leaving them earning negative salaries.

Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai had in November directed the move, arguing that it ensured fairness in the police service.

The IG said the Court of Appeal had overturned a ruling by the High Court which had given the officers a reprieve.

On his part, Police Spokesperson Bruno Shioso said the pay cut was legal going by a Court of Appeal ruling on September 23, 2019.

Shioso stated that the service was on a mission to “clean up” its payroll, adding that some officers were in the payroll illegally.