User:Kabokoro

Corruption and injustice in police recruitment.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has finally let the cat out the bag. The recently concluded police recruitment was riddled with extortion, bribery, favoritism, nepotism, discrimination and outright violation of procedure as clearly stated in the law. In a report seen by Mzalendo, “The commission conducted a very urgent analysis of all the reports received and at the preliminary stage, is satisfied that rampant corruption and other malpractices took place during the recruitment process,” EACC Vice-Chairperson Irene Keino said in a press statement. However, as the EACC saw malpractice, The National Police Service Commission at the same time gave a clean bill of health to Monday’s recruitment with its Chairman Johnston Kavuludi saying that those with grievances should present their evidence in seven days. In his statement, the Chairman said, “The attention of the Commission has been drawn to complaints that the exercise was fraught with irregularities. All claims of impropriety will be fully investigated before the recruits report for training,” as Mr Kavulundi and his people tried to play down the vice, Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo waded into the murky waters by saying that some candidates did not qualify because of rigorous exercise, medical checks, physical fitness and written examinations. He however did not elaborate whether some of the selected are those who didn’t qualify. Kavulundi further said that if allegations of malpractice are proven, results of an entire recruitment center will be cancelled. In total 10,000 candidates aged between 18 and 30 years, from nearly 100,000 applicants were picked in this exercise that has left the poor and the less fortunate cursing the recruiting teams and the rich for continuing to tread on them using money. The EACC wants the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) to audit the process to establish those who may have been culpable, for appropriate action or prosecution. According to EACC, if this trend is allowed to continue, it can grossly erode public confidence in state institutions and send an impression that the values and ideals embedded in the Constitution are in vain. The commission has written a letter to the commission and Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo asking them to take measures to promote transparency and accountability during the recruitments. According to Ms Keino, EACC sent its staff to monitor some selected centers and believes that, from the very onset, that officers who were entrusted with the recruitment at various levels and required to strictly adhere to the provision of chapter six of the Constitution on leadership and integrity they failed. According to EACC, the recruitment panels were duty-bound to make objective and impartial decisions devoid of nepotism, favoritism, corruption and other irregularities. With Kavulundi giving the exercise a clean bill of health whiles the entire public and The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, the Consumer Federation of Kenya and Haki Africa making similar claims of corruption, reliability and credibility of those recruited hangs in the balance. While going ahead to order that all applicants with grievances to present them within seven days, promising that if allegations of malpractices are proven, results of an entire recruitment center will be cancelled, EACC believes and states that such an important process is done strictly on merit and with due regard to the provision of the law to make sure that adherence to the constitution and rule of law is a true thing. According to Kavulundi, those with complaints can take them to the commission’s headquarters at Sky Park Plaza in Westlands, Nairobi, or send them by e-mail to info@npsc.go.ke or post them through Box 47363-00100, Nairobi. Some candidates are said to have given bribes of up to Sh200, 000. In Tigania East, Meru County, youths subjected to the rigorous exercises during the day were dropped at night on fictional allegations that they hadn’t qualified as another list is said to have emerged. One orphan by the name James Mwenda Kanake in Tigania East believes that justice was never done to him. He hinted that the exercise started at 8am as announced and ended close to 1am. He says that he went through the rigorous exercises passing one after the other from morning till past midnight when the last medical report was out and the doctor cleared him as OK. Things turned upside down when at around 1am, the OCPD read out the names of those who had qualified and his name wasn’t in the list with just a reason, ‘you are too young and can try another time’. With his passing of all the processes, age had not been mentioned as having a question. In his application for job to the Kenya Police, James had indicated that he is an orphan and totally needy and ready to serve the country to make ends meet. Having been through school in one of the local day schools he believed the only way to repay his well-wishers and earn a living was to diligently commit himself to selflessly serving all people in a decorous manner. In the cries of poor people like James and others who cannot find money to buy their way out, is there justice for them? The young man run 6km and became number 3 in the district while passing in all the other requirements. Where is ‘too young’, start while one is an adult with Kitambulisho and having completed form four? Can we expect corruption to end when it becomes a benchmark for enrollment into police force? Shame!