diff --git a/tests/kafkatest/services/kafka/kafka.py b/tests/kafkatest/services/kafka/kafka.py
index 172bf4f5479f..c7e8a0a65efa 100644
--- a/tests/kafkatest/services/kafka/kafka.py
+++ b/tests/kafkatest/services/kafka/kafka.py
@@ -926,7 +926,7 @@ def run_features_command(self, op, new_version):
     def pids(self, node):
         """Return process ids associated with running processes on the given node."""
         try:
-            cmd = "jcmd | grep -e %s -e %s | awk '{print $1}'" % (self.java_class_name(), self.deprecated_cp_java_class_name())
+            cmd = "ps ax | grep -e %s -e %s | grep -v grep | awk '{print $1}'" % (self.java_class_name(), self.deprecated_cp_java_class_name())
             pid_arr = [pid for pid in node.account.ssh_capture(cmd, allow_fail=True, callback=int)]
             return pid_arr
         except (RemoteCommandError, ValueError) as e:
@@ -994,9 +994,9 @@ def thread_dump(self, node):
     def clean_node(self, node):
         JmxMixin.clean_node(self, node)
         self.security_config.clean_node(node)
-        node.account.kill_java_processes(self.java_class_name(),
+        node.account.kill_process(self.java_class_name(),
                                          clean_shutdown=False, allow_fail=True)
-        node.account.kill_java_processes(self.deprecated_cp_java_class_name(),
+        node.account.kill_process(self.deprecated_cp_java_class_name(),
                                          clean_shutdown=False, allow_fail=True)
         node.account.ssh("sudo rm -rf -- %s" % KafkaService.PERSISTENT_ROOT, allow_fail=False)