The National Police Service Commission (NPSC) CEO Mr Peter Leley clashed with members of a House Committee over the push to table the list of new recruits before them.
The National Cohesion and Equal Opportunities Committee directed that the CEO should table before it names of citizens hired in the ongoing recruitment to establish whether the process complied with the requirement of the law on ethnic balance.
The Committee’s vice chairperson Charles Were told the CEO, who had appeared before the House team, that he should submit the names of the recruitees to the Committee before issuing them with appointment letters to verify on ethnic balance.
“For the Committee to establish whether you have used the ongoing recruitment to correct the anomalies in ethnic balance you will be required to submit the list to the Committee for verification,” said the Kaspul MP.
But Leley declined noting that there is nowhere in the recruitment procedures that allows him to submit the list of the recruits to the Committee before issuing them with appointment letters.
“About tabling the list of the recruits before the Committee I will not. The Committee will be breaking the law by compelling me to do so,” he said.
But legislators did not take the CEO’s sentiments lightly as they accused him of being arrogant and a hostile guest of the Committee.
Committee chairperson Hon Adan Yusuf Haji told the CEO that the Committee had powers to compel any witness before it to submit documents on matters under investigation.
“The law empowers the Committed to compel any witness appearing before it to table any document perceived to be of any assistance to their probe into matters before it. You cannot run away from the order,” said the Mandera West MP.
Haji noted that he was not happy with the tone the CEO was using to respond to directives by the Committee.
“Your tone is disrespectful to the Committee. You can oppose what the Committee wants from you but in a respectful manner,” he noted.
He added that the Committee was not ready for any confrontation with the CEO.
Kisumu Central MP Dr Joshua Oron asked the CEO to comply with directives from the Committee noting that his defiance would cost him.
Said the Dhiwa MP Martins Owino: “The Committee is being diplomatic in addressing you but the direction you are taking will not be good for you. If you insist on not complying with the directive it is well with us.”
After a push and pull the CEO agreed to comply and submit the list once the recruitment exercise is over.
“Any directive to me by a constitutional organization like these Committee I will comply,” he responded.
The Committee had taken the CEO to task for failing to comply with law by ensuring that majority of the communities in the country access job opportunities.
This is after the CEO, in his submission to the Committee, noted that only 24 sub tribes were employed by the Commission.
The Committee had questioned why he was not using the ongoing recruitment exercise to correct the anomalies in tribal imbalance.
The Committee also questioned why the Commission did not adhere to the five percent requirement in recruitment of people living with disabilities.
According to the report tabled by Leley, only three percent of PLWDs were employed by the Commission.
The Committee however hailed the CEO for ensuring there was gender balance in the Commission.
He told the Committee that under the current employment composition, 135 employees were male and 149 females.