Intend to participate in police recruitment? How to reach IPOA for complaints

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 17- The Independent Policing Oversight Authority say they will monitor Monday’s planned National Police Service recruitment drive.

Chairperson Anne Makori on Wednesday said the authority will be receiving complaints and compliments on the exercise.

“Given IPOA’s understanding that the work of professionalizing the police must start at the recruitment stage, the authority shall receive the complaints and compliments, analyse them and share its report with the National Police Service,” said Makori.

The exercise aims to add 4,700 police constables and 300 cadet inspectors to the service.

She added the authority will receive the complaints and compliments through its dedicated Call Centre Toll-Free Hotline 1559 which will be operational throughout the exercise from 0730hrs to 2000hrs.

Also, the Authority’s Regional Offices will be
reachable through the following contacts;

Garissa: 0777040400 or garissa@ipoa.go.ke;

Mombasa: 0799019998 or mombasa@ipoa.go.ke;

Kisumu: 0799862244 or kisumu@ipoa.go.ke;

Kakamega: 0204403549 or kakamega@ipoa.go.ke;

Nakuru: 0204906555 or nakuru@ipoa.go.ke;

Meru: 0202017237 or meru@ipoa.go.ke;

Nyeri: 0202004664 or nyeri@ipoa.go.ke; and,

Eldoret and Lodwar: 0204403548 or eldoret@ipoa.go.ke.

Apart from the 300 cadets, 4,700 other new recruits will join the General Service Unit and Administration Police.

The recruitment exercise will take place on February 22 in all constituencies.

The new recruits will be bonded for ten years.

The new group is needed to fill the gap left by thousands who have left the service over the years.

This is because the service has in the past three years been losing close to 2,000 officers yearly through different means.

The majority are resigning while others are on an increasing trend retiring.

Some are incapacitated by different work related hazards including injuries and diseases.

The service has been under pressure to increase the number of police stations in various parts of the country but they have not been able to due to financial constraints.

And when the president announced changes in the service in 2018, it forced some 24,000 APS officers to move to the Kenya Police. APS is now completely specialised on its core mandate that includes border patrols, guarding critical infrastructure and dealing with stock theft.

At GSU, there is a need for younger officers to take part in operations that are currently in demand.