Countrywide recruitment exercise of 10,000 police constables was yesterday hit by tragedy as a 23-year-old man in Godoni in Kwale county. The man, who collapsed after finishing the race at Baraza Park, was pronounced dead on arrival at Kwale County Hospital, where he had been rushed for treatment.
County health executive Athuman Chiguzo said the young man, identified as Mwarika Rika, died of high blood pressure. Police superintendent Moses Owiti who was in charge of the recruitment, said Rika fell as soon as he crossed the finish line. In other parts of the country, the exercise experienced numerous hitches including candidates being turned away, mix-up of names and change of venue.
In this year’s exercise, unlike before, police commanders were in charge of the 331 recruitment centres, with support from other security police departments, officials from the National Police Service Commission (NPSC), Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and observer lobby groups. NPSC chairman Johnstone Kavuludi said the commission will coordinate the recruitment although Inspector of Police Joseph Boinnet is mandated to oversee the process.
In Nairobi county, a man accused of obtaining money by pretending he was in a position to facilitate recruitment in the police service was charged in court. Joseph Kipkoech Keino allegedly obtained Sh56,200 from Lesly Cherop Bungei on diverse dates by falsely pretending that he was in a position to facilitate her cousin to be recruited as an Administration Police officer.
Keino who appeared before chief magistrate Daniel Ogembo denied the charges. He was released on Sh100,000 cash bail or a bond of Sh500,000. The case will be heard on May 16. At the National Youth Service (NYS) recruitment centre, 4,000 participants turned up against the required number of 80 constables.
In Kisii, several candidates who arrived at the Gusii Stadium were turned away following a mix up of names in their certificates. AP Commander Mohamed Kutsola said the candidates were asked to provide sworn affidavits to confirm to address the anomaly, but they returned after the exercise was closed. In Kabarnet, hundreds of youth who had turned up at the Kabarnet Stadium were turned away after the venue was changed at the last minute.
The youth accused the organisers of failing to adequately inform them of the changes. Senior Superintendent of Police Mathews Mangira defended the change of venue saying they realised the stadium was being renovated. At Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium, officer in charge Peter Macharia said only 156 men and 41 women turned up. “I expected a big number considering that Nakuru is a big town,” he said.
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