Petition filed to stop ongoing Kenya Prisons Service promotions, recruitment

Two petitioners have filed an urgent petition in court seeking to stop the ongoing recruitment and promotion exercises within the Kenya Prisons Service, arguing that the process is unconstitutional and risks violating their rights.

According to court documents seen by Citizen Digital, the petitioners, Peter Agoro and Henry Muriithi, contend that the promotion and recruitment exercises conducted by the Commissioner General of Prisons, who is listed as the first respondent, form the core of their case.

They argue that unless the court intervenes immediately, the process will be completed before the next mention date, May 20, 2025, rendering their petition futile.

The petitioners also say that the promotion interviews at the station level reportedly took place between April 22 and 25, 2025, while regional, headquarters, and Prison Staff Training College interviews are scheduled for May 5 to 9.

Additionally, external recruitment of cadet officers, professionals, artisans, and technicians is slated for April 30.

The petitioners argue that by the time the matter is mentioned in court, the entire process will have been concluded, making it impossible for the court to offer any meaningful remedy.

They further claim that hundreds of graduate officers may face irreversible violations of their constitutional rights if the process is not urgently halted.

According to the petition, while the court acknowledged the urgency of the matter in its April 23 directions, it did not issue interim conservatory orders to stop the ongoing exercises.

The petitioners now seek a review of those directions, insisting that the court must urgently intervene to prevent the petition from becoming a mere academic exercise.