Serving graduate prison warders have asked the President to intervene ahead of planned interviews for promotions in the department.
They claim the process will not be free and fair since top officers already have preferred candidates.
The wardens also cited cases of corruption and tribalism in the department and threatened to move to court over the matter.
Last Friday, Prisons commissioner general Isaiah Osugo wrote to regional commissioners directing wardens to submit applications for promotions by September 5.
The applications should be done through officers in charge and regional prisons command.
Candidates will then be informed when to appear before the departmental promotions board at the headquarters.
According to the directive, interview slots for the rank of Inspector have been allocated per region.
Prison headquarters have been allocated 12, while the Prisons Training College have 7.
The remainder will be allocated across the former provinces, namely Rift valley (59), Western (11), Nyanza (16), Eastern (17), Central (21), Nairobi (33), Northeastern (4) and Coast (10), totaling 190 officers.
It is expected that a total of 45 officers will be promoted to senior sergeant, 50 to sergeant, while 300 across the country will be reshuffled.
Wardens who spoke to the Star on condition of anonymity said they are reading mischief in the directive.
They accused Osugo of biasness, saying he has delayed their promotions deliberately.
Some said they have served for more than 10 years and have had their promotions delayed for more than five years.
About 110 serving graduates serving in various prisons across the country including Kamiti, Industrial Area, Shimo La Tewa, Kodiaga are yet to be promoted.
This delay has been attributed to the recruitment of 'outsider' graduates who were directly promoted to the rank of inspectors.
"We are now going to compete with new recruits who are due to pass out by the end of August," a warden said.
"This is a scheme to allow senior officers to fill in their relatives in those ranks (sic)," the warded added.
The scheme of service says that one must have served in the rank for a period of three years so as to qualify for another rank.
In the forthcoming interviews, a constable must have worked for a minimum of six years and have a degree certificate to be promoted to the rank of inspector.
Corporals seeking for promotion to the rank of inspector must have served for a minimum of five years. This, the wardens alleged is deliberate to lock out corporals who have degree certificates and have not served for five year period.