About 400 youth turned up at the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment centre in Mandera as the nationwide exercise kicked off today.
However, there was a notable gender gap, with only four young women participating compared to a larger number of male candidates.
Addressing the press, Senior Recruitment Officer Lt. Col. Paul Njue expressed satisfaction with the initial turnout, emphasising that the numbers have been encouraging.
Lt. Col. Njue also said a significant number of youths were disqualified from the exercise, some due to possessing fraudulent documents, while others did not meet the minimum qualifications.
He added that, to date, there have been no reported incidents of bribery among the recruits. Lt. Col. Njue stated that thorough checks would be conducted on all recruits to ensure that none arrive with any form of bribery.
The KDF recruitment drive is looking to enlist General Service Officer (GSO) Cadets (both regular and graduate degree holders), Specialist Officers, General Duty Recruits, Tradesmen and Women, and Defence Forces Constables.
The KDF recruitment exercise is scheduled to run until September 8, 2023.
By Adan Mohammed
