Petition Filed Against Master’s Degree Rule for Prisons Promotions

Petition Filed Against Master’s Degree Rule for Prisons Promotions.

A new directive requiring graduate officers in the Kenya Prisons Service to possess a Master’s degree for promotion to the rank of Inspector of Prisons has been met with legal resistance. Activist Fredrick Bikeri has filed a petition in court contesting the directive, arguing it was introduced without proper consultation or public involvement and lacks sufficient justification.

Bikeri contends that the directive undermines the principles of fairness and equality in public service. Through lawyer Danstan Omari, he maintains that the requirement discriminates against officers who have served for years but lack the resources to pursue further education.

The petition emphasizes that most affected officers are financially and logistically unable to undertake postgraduate studies while working full-time, making them unfairly ineligible for promotion.

The court documents note that the implementation of this policy effectively sidelines experienced officers from upward mobility. Bikeri argues that the directive favors new recruits who already meet the academic requirements, thereby creating an unjustifiable gap between them and their long-serving colleagues.

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The activist is requesting the court to issue orders stopping the government from enforcing the policy or conducting any promotion interviews under its guidelines. Additionally, he seeks to have the directive nullified altogether.

The court has instructed Bikeri to serve the necessary legal documents to the concerned parties and scheduled a session with Justice Mugambi for May 14 to determine the next course of action.

Petition Filed Against Master’s Degree Rule for Prisons Promotions.

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