Emuhaya: Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has confirmed that the government is crafting a tamper-proof process for recruiting uniformed officers. Speaking during a thanksgiving ceremony at Ematsuli Church of God, she underscored that once concluded, the standard process will be made public as the government strives to address recurrent allegations of malpractices and favoritism during the recruitment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officers.
According to Kenya News Agency, Tuya mentioned, “We have heard the complaints and murmurs and we are panel beating the process to minimize those malpractices.” She also promised that the recruitment process across different services shall reflect the diversity of the Kenyan people. The current process, despite attracting thousands of young Kenyans at various gazetted recruitment centers across the country, has been plagued with claims of malpractices such as bribery, favoritism, and nepotism. Conmen have exploited these loopholes, swindling Kenyans out of their hard-earned cash with promises to help them join the forces.
The CS also emphasized the need for unity as an important tool for the development of the country, adding that it is the responsibility of every citizen and leader to foster unity. The recruitment debate was initiated by Emuhaya Member of Parliament, Omboko Milemba, who claimed that in the last recruitment process, no candidate from Emuhaya was selected. “Ask the national government administration officers here if they can trace any child from here who got the opportunity to join the forces,” posed the MP. Omboko further claimed that opportunities were given to individuals ferried from outside the region, thereby denying locals a chance. He asserted, “We ask that in the next recruitment we must get our rightful share.”
Vihiga County Governor, Wilber Ottichilo, speaking at the same event, expressed his commitment to work closely with all leaders to foster unity and bring the people of Vihiga County together for development. Ottichilo highlighted his ongoing initiatives across the county, noting that projects for building markets are underway and a task force to look into the construction of more markets and roads is in place. Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba also emphasized the need for local projects to ensure that services are accessible, highlighting priorities such as investing in education through constituency development funds and ensuring equal work opportunities for individuals.