On 21 November 2018, reports from the ongoing Kenya Defence Forces recruitment exercise raised concern after women were turned away at some centres, including in Lamu and Laikipia counties.
At some of the affected stations, officers reportedly told applicants there were no slots for women. In Lamu West, the recruiting officer said the exercise was focusing on men because there was already adequate representation of Lamu women in the KDF. In Nyahururu, women were sent away without any explanation.
The incidents stood out because the military has, in recent years, made visible efforts to widen access for women and improve gender balance within its ranks. The leadership had scrapped the women’s corps, folded women into the officer ranks, and increased recruitment into different units.
The article also noted that the KDF had improved its public communication and now had a better-staffed unit explaining military matters to the public. Even so, it was criticised for not issuing clear guidance in advance on who should report for recruitment. The piece said that if the omission was an oversight, it could still be corrected while the exercise was ongoing.
It also praised the KDF for confronting corruption that had been common in earlier recruitments. The article stressed that joining the military is both an act of national service and a source of employment for young people, especially at a time of acute unemployment across the country, and said such opportunities must be filled transparently.
