Government Changes Police And KDF Recruitment Process

President William Ruto has directed that National Youth Service, NYS, trainees be given priority during the recruitment of National Police Service and Kenya Defence Forces (KDF)

Speaking in Parliament while delivering his first State of the Nation address, the President said from 2024 recruitment to the NYS will be doubled to 40,000 in a move aimed at expanding job opportunities for the youth. Rut urged the two entities to ensure NYS officers account for 80 percent of recruits.

“To entrench our all-of-society coalition, we have resolved to enhance diversity and inclusion, by expanding enrolment into the National Youth Service (NYS) as an agency to capture young people at the bottom of the pyramid.

“Consequently, we are doubling enrolment to 40,000 in the Service from next year, and have made it mandatory that every village, center, town, and city in Kenya is properly represented in the recruitment,” said Ruto.

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He added: “To consolidate this proposition, we have directed that 80 percent of future recruits to all our national security services will be from among the well-trained, talented, and committed young men and women who have undergone training at NYS.”

‘’To consolidate this proposition, we have directed that 80 percent of future recruits to all our national  security services will be from among the well-trained, talented, and committed young men and women who have undergone training at NYS.’’

In the current recruitment, the government considers qualifications in terms of age, education credentials, and height, among other factors.

Ruto steered clear of the planned deployment of police to Haiti for a security mission during his State of the Nation address. He instead used the opportunity to highlight Kenya’s place in the region’s stability. The president said that Kenya has a fundamental and clear interest in conducting robust diplomacy in the form of bilateral and multilateral engagements.

“We continue to answer to our historic, moral, and strategic responsibilities to deploy our resources in solidarity with our region in general and our immediate neighborhood in particular,” he added.

“Kenya finds itself continuously summoned by its duty of care to serve as a reliable anchor to our region’s security, peace and stability.”

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