The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), in a statement dated Thursday, January 11th, shared the needed qualifications for one to join the National Police Reserve.

The notice indicated that the recruitment process would be overseen by the National Security Council (NSC) in a transparent process. The NSC is responsible for determining the number of officers to be recruited.

The National Police Reservists’ mandate includes maintaining law and order within Kenya, effectively complementing other disciplined forces.

 Eligibility

In the statement, IPOA outlined that NPR officers are expected to be residents of Kenya aged between 18 and 55 years.

This is in contrast to other forces such as the National Police, Military, and National Youth Service, which require individuals to be Kenyan citizens by birth.

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Interested applicants are required to enrol for the service as reserve officers and should not be members of any disciplined forces.

Duties

IPOA noted that the reservists, despite being civilians, play a vital role in upholding law and order.

“The Reserve may be deployed in Kenya to assist the Kenya Police Service or the Administration Police Service in their respective mandates,” the notice read in part.

The National Police Reservists’ responsibilities surround law and order maintenance, preserving peace, protecting life and property, preventing and detecting crime, apprehending offenders, and enforcing all relevant laws and regulations.

Terms of Service

Upon recruitment, the reservist shall receive uniforms, service ID’s and weapons.

Following defined commands and supervision instructions similar to those of disciplined forces, they will be deployed to various areas in the country.

Before being deployed, all reservists have to undergo vetting and training.

“A person serving as a Reserve police officer shall be bound by the same requirements as a police officer and shall be supervised by the service.”

Recruited police reserve officers must be familiar with the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the National Police Service Act.