The suspension by a judge of the recruitment of 10,000 new officers is bound to escalate a feud that has been raging over the control of the Sh60 billion police payroll and staffing functions.

This dispute pits Inspector-General Douglas Kanja and his deputies against the National Police Service Commission (NPSC).

As the head of the National Police Service (NPS), IG Kanja argues that his office is independent and, therefore, cannot cede these key roles to the NPSC. But the commission chairperson, Dr Yuda Komora, and his civilian team want the traditional field selection done away with and applications made online.

However, the National Security Council, which is chaired by the President, has reportedly backed the continuation of the traditional system in which young men and women turn up at recruitment centres and are subjected to physical checks.

Employment and Labour Relations Court Judge Hellen Wasilwa suspended the recruitment of the police constables, which had been scheduled to begin yesterday, pending the determination of a petition that queries whether the NPSC is constitutionally mandated to conduct the recruitment.

This infighting has caused the delay of this eagerly awaited recruitment. The NPSC is apparently split into two factions, police and civilian, which are in disagreement over the commission’s mandate.

As the confusion intensifies, the NPS has announced that it is consulting with the commission on the appropriate legal remedies to ensure that the recruitment resumes as soon as possible. It should be expedited.

Judge Wasilwa’s order comes in the wake of a similar meeting last month in which the two rival factions appeared to have reached a truce for the recruitment to continue.

Already behind schedule before this ruling, the exercise was to run for six days from yesterday.

There is a need to quickly resolve the dispute so that the NPS can go ahead to boost the numbers in the police service.

This is essential for it to effectively discharge its crucial national mandate of enforcing law and order.