On 20 November 2018, the Kenya Defence Forces began recruiting servicemen, servicewomen and constables, but the exercise immediately drew complaints after some centres turned away women and others reported low turnout.
Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lt. Gen. Robert Kibochi said the military had seen a rise in people soliciting money from the public by claiming they could secure jobs in the forces. He said 20 cases of malpractice were reported during the February/March recruitment, and Kenyans lost more than Sh4.2 million to con men.
That figure was higher than the nine cases recorded during the May/June 2017 recruitment, when losses stood at Sh4.9 million. Lt. Gen. Kibochi said seven civilians had already been charged, while some KDF soldiers linked to the scheme had been dismissed from service.
He added that recruitment into the army, navy and air force would follow the Kenya Defence Forces Act and continue until 19 December at centres announced through the media and official websites. Anyone claiming to recruit outside the approved dates and times, which run from 8am to 5pm on weekdays, was acting illegally and should be reported, he said.
After the launch, recruitment officers were sent to different parts of the country. In Lamu, women who reported to Kibaki Grounds were turned away after being told there was no slot for women from the county.
Lt. Col. Paul Aruasa, the officer in charge of recruitment in Lamu West, said the drive targeted men only because there was already enough representation of women from Lamu in the KDF. He said the decision was not meant to be gender insensitive.
Ms Immaculate Muthee, 21, one of the women turned away, said excluding them was unfair. The exercise also saw fewer young people turn up than in previous years.
At the same Lamu centre, recruiters rejected some candidates because of stained teeth, low weight, tattoos, and low grades. Lt. Col. Aruasa said some applicants had discoloured teeth, possibly from the water they use or from miraa chewing.
“We have turned away a good number of recruits due to the discolouration of their teeth maybe because of the kind of water they are using here or due to miraa chewing. We have also left out recruits due to low weight, tattoos in some parts bodies and low grades,” he said.
The same pattern was reported at Nyahururu Stadium in Laikipia County, where women were also turned away. Chief recruiting officer Lt. Col. Eliud Were said there were no vacancies for women at that centre.
He said that did not mean the military was opposed to female soldiers, noting that women could still be recruited at another centre in the same county.
Other applicants were rejected for presenting photocopies instead of original certificates and documents, while some were turned away for being older than the required age.
In Nyeri County, KDF officials also raised concern over low turnout. At Chaka, Lt. Col. Michael Simbili said the number of candidates was higher than in 2017, but still low given the country’s unemployment levels.
