NAIROBI,Kenya Nov 12 – The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has announced a nationwide recruitment exercise scheduled for December 2026, opening opportunities for Kenyans seeking to join the military as officer cadets, specialist officers, general duty recruits and tradesmen and women.
In a recruitment notice, KDF said the exercise would target both university graduates and candidates with secondary school and technical qualifications, with successful applicants expected to undergo training at designated military institutions.
The recruitment will cover General Service Officer (GSO) Cadets under the regular and graduate categories, specialist officers, general duty recruits and tradesmen and women with relevant professional and technical skills.
KDF has set December 12, 2026, as the deadline for online applications for GSO cadets, specialist officers and tradesmen and women.
Applications must be submitted through the Ministry of Defence recruitment portal, https://recruit.mod.go.ke. Shortlisted candidates will be notified through the Ministry of Defence website and print media between December 21 and 25, 2026.
The military has cautioned applicants against paying bribes or engaging intermediaries to secure recruitment slots, warning that the exercise is free and any form of corruption will attract arrest and prosecution.
It has urged members of the public to report recruitment malpractice, including individuals issuing fake calling letters, to the nearest police station or military camp, or through its dedicated hotline, 0183749488.
KDF has also introduced biometric verification as the sole method of identification and verification during recruitment and when successful candidates report for training. It said no calling letters would be issued either during the recruitment exercise or at the reporting stage.
Under the general requirements, applicants must be Kenyan citizens with valid national identity cards and must present original identification, academic and KRA PIN documents alongside four copies of each required document.
Regular GSO cadet applicants must be aged between 18 and 23 years, while graduate cadets, general duty recruits and tradesmen and women must be between 18 and 26 years.
Specialist officer applicants must not be above 30 years, while medical consultants must be aged 35 years or below. Chaplains and Imams must not exceed 39 years, while Catechists and Maalims must be aged 35 years or below.
Applicants must have no criminal record and meet the stipulated physical and medical standards. The minimum height requirement is 1.60 metres for men and 1.52 metres for women, while the minimum weight is 54.55 kilogrammes for men and 50 kilogrammes for women.
Candidates must also have a body mass index of between 18.5 and 30.0. Female applicants must not be pregnant during recruitment or throughout the training period.
For regular officer cadets, applicants must have attained a minimum KCSE mean grade of B plain, with at least C+ in English, Mathematics and one science subject. Successful candidates will undergo three years of training, leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in Defence and Security Studies.
Graduate cadets must meet the same KCSE requirements and hold a relevant bachelor’s degree from a recognised university. Their training will last 15 months.
The graduate vacancies cover a wide range of disciplines, including disaster management, security studies, engineering, education, finance, business management, human resource management, geology, geographical information systems, hospitality, information and communications technology, strategic communication, library studies, sports management, public administration and agroforestry.
Specialist officer positions will be available in chaplaincy, legal services and medical fields. Applicants for legal positions must hold an LLB degree, be advocates of the High Court of Kenya and possess valid practising certificates.
Medical applicants must hold relevant qualifications in medicine and surgery, dental surgery, nursing or pharmacy, while medical consultants must have a Master of Medicine qualification in internal medicine or radiology.
Specialist officers will undergo seven months of training.
For general duty recruits, the minimum academic requirement is a KCSE mean grade of D plain. Candidates who have successfully undergone National Youth Service training and meet the other requirements will have an added advantage.
Tradesmen and women positions will target diploma and certificate holders in various technical and professional fields.
Diploma applicants must have a minimum KCSE grade of C minus, while certificate applicants must have at least D plus and a relevant certificate with Government Trade Test Grade II or Craft Certificate II from a recognised institution.
The advertised technical and professional vacancies include engineering, information technology, journalism, media production, health technology, vehicle mechanics, cartography, laundry technology, music, education and religious studies.
Artisan opportunities will also be available in automotive electrical work, carpentry, masonry, electrical installation, plant operations, tailoring, vehicle mechanics, welding, painting, catering, plumbing and truck driving.
KDF said specialist officers and tradesmen and women must have at least two years of relevant working experience, calculated from the date of registration with the applicable regulatory or statutory body.
All successful candidates will be subjected to final verification at designated KDF training institutions.
The military said general duty recruits would be selected by recruiting teams drawn from the Kenya Army, Kenya Air Force and Kenya Navy at designated recruitment centres according to an official itinerary.
The recruitment exercise is part of KDF’s annual process of bringing new personnel into the military across its various service branches and professional departments.
