Nairobi: The nationwide recruitment of men and women into the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), which began on Monday in Homa Bay County, concluded on Thursday with the final exercise held at Kosele Stadium in Rachuonyo South Sub-County. During the last phase of the recruitment, 10 successful candidates were selected from a total of 227 who turned up for the exercise.
According to Kenya News Agency, residents described the exercise, which was largely technology-driven from start to finish, as fair and transparent. However, they expressed concern that the strict digital process, though intended to curb corruption, could disadvantage candidates from areas recently affected by administrative boundary changes not yet updated in the digital system. They noted that some identity cards (IDs) still reflect old divisions, creating confusion and potential disqualification, even though the holders belong to newly created administrative units.
Lieutenant Augustine Kirwa, the officer in charge of the exercise, commended the overall turnout and conduct, saying the process was smooth and orderly. He acknowledged a minor challenge where ID details did not align with the candidates' current administrative divisions, forcing the recruitment team to conduct village-level verifications to ensure fairness in slot distribution. "This required us to go down to the villages to confirm candidates' actual areas of residence and ensure equitable representation. We have noted this issue for future policy consideration," said Lt Kirwa.
He urged local leaders and administrators to educate residents on the importance of updating their ID details whenever new administrative units are created to avoid inconveniences during national exercises such as KDF recruitment.