In Kenya, the Commission on Administrative Justice-Office of the Ombudsman (CAJ) monitored police recruitment procedures in 2022, following audits revealing nepotism and favouritism in both recruitment and selection, and the receipt of complaints from candidates alleging the same.

The findings of audits conducted by the CAJ in 2015 and 2016 into police recruitment procedures, and complaints received by the CAJ in 2018 from candidates who had applied for the position of constable, led the CAJ to monitor a 2022 nationwide recruitment drive for police officers. The CAJ deployed 29 investigators to 15 recruitment centres across five counties to act as observers.

The CAJ found that practices across recruitment centres were inconsistent, and that only one centre provided the opportunity for candidates to raise concerns or submit complaints regarding recruitment and selection. Further, they found that advertising for the event had not always mentioned important eligibility criteria; and when it had, these criteria were not always applied by recruiters. Many recruitment centres also failed to meet ethnic and gender balance rules in recruiting.

Based on these findings, the CAJ generated reports for each recruitment centre, and an aggregate report for the Kenyan National Police Service and the Kenyan National Police Service Commission, containing recommendations to address shortcomings. The majority of these were implemented, including the creation of an online recruitment portal to make recruitment more transparent and eligibility criteria clearer, and the establishment of complaint desks in all recruitment centres.

As a result of these efforts, the CAJ has increased transparency and accountability in police recruitment, thereby advancing SDG 16.6 on developing effective, accountable, and transparent institutions; and has also contributed to SDG 5 on gender equality by ensuring that gender quotas are made public and respected.