Nakuru Locals Want Policy Disqualifying Youth with Tattoos from Joining Police Service Abolished
- Any individual with a tattoo is automatically disqualified from joining the National Police Service, but some Kenyans want that policy changed
- Many of those who spoke during a public participation forum on draft regulations for the recruitment and promotion of officers said a tattoo cannot hinder an individual’s performance
- National Police Service Commission (NPSC) chief executive officer Peter Leley, however, explained the circumstances under which that policy can be reviewed
A section of locals from Nakuru county has called for a review of some of the policies that guide the recruitment of young people into the National Police Service.
Source: Original
The locals singled out the disqualification of those with tattoos from the service, which they termed discriminatory.
Youth lament being locked out of police recruitment for having tattoos
Speaking at Nakuru Red Cross offices on Monday, August 11, during the public participation on the draft regulations for recruitment and promotion of officers, the locals, mostly young people, lamented that they were being denied slots in the service because of tattoos and marks on the body.
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“For those who have the capabilities to join the police service, some of the key things hindering them are the tattoos. We are having a difficult time joining the police because it’s somewhat of a requirement not to have tattoos. If you check well, the body arts have nothing to do with the work you are being deployed to do,” said James Ndungu, a youth champion in Nakuru Town East.
Similar sentiments were shared by Rebecca Nyambura, a mother of a young adult. She said most of the young people engage in body arts because of their love for artistic expressions, only for the reality to dawn on them.
Nyambura argued that other jurisdictions, including the United States of America’s military and police, have tattoos which do not hinder their enrollment into the service.
“I am a parent and I have a big son. Thank God I discouraged him from doing the tattoos and he has not done so, but it pains me that potential young people are denied opportunities because of such. The service should outgrow some of the ridiculous requirements and focus on abilities of an individual to work,” she said.
Is Kenya about to change police recruitment policies?
Responding to the locals’ concerns, the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) chief executive officer (CEO) Peter Leley said that they are currently studying the motivation behind the tattoos on young Kenyans before a decision is made on the policy.
Source: Original
Leley insisted that, as for now, anyone with a tattoo cannot be recruited into the police service.
“Currently, we don’t know what drives them to do it, and we are now keenly trying to study them. Maybe they have other meanings we are not aware of as a commission because these officers we are recruiting are charged with the responsibility to take care of the security of everyone, so before we understand their meaning, I must say we can’t allow it in our service at the moment,” said the NPSC boss.
Is Kenya police recruitment done online?
Previously, TUKO.co.ke reported that the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, had hinted at the next police recruitment being done online.
Kanja said digitising the recruitment service was part of their efforts to enhance transparency.
He said the use of an online platform would eliminate any loopholes that allow room for corruption and irregularities.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Joshua Cheloti (Editorial assistant) Joshua Cheloti is a multi-skilled journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Media and Communication at Mount Kenya University. At TUKO, he's an editorial assistant. Before TUKO, he worked at Nairobi Review as an editorial writer, at Hope Media (Hope TV and Hope FM) as a correspondent in Eldoret, Hivisasa.com digital content editor and online writer, at Biblia Husema Broadcasting (BHB), Eldoret as Radio Presenter. Email: Joshua.cheloti@tuko.co.ke
Elijah Cherutich A trained Kenyan journalist with over 10 years of experience in radio and digital media. I am currently based in Nakuru city in the Rift Valley region working as a TUKO.co.ke correspondent.
