NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 17 – Nairobi leaders have protested the Ministry of Defence’s recruitment itinerary for the 2025 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) intake, terming it “manifestly skewed” against the county’s residents
The leaders said that the recruitment itinerary risks disenfranchising thousands of eligible young people in the capital.
In a demand letter addressed to Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, Members of Parliament from all 17 constituencies of Nairobi, alongside Senator Edwin Sifuna and Woman Representative Esther Passaris, demanded urgent rectification of the recruitment schedule published on September 14.
The leaders argue that unlike other counties with recruitment centres spread across sub-counties, Nairobi’s schedule consolidates multiple constituencies into just three venues — Nyayo Stadium, Moi International Sports Centre (Kasarani), and Jamhuri Grounds.
“This consolidation of recruitment centres for over a dozen constituencies presents a logistical nightmare and [is] in stark contrast to other counties, where recruitment centres [are] designated for each sub-county,” said Embakasi West MP Mark Muriithi Mwenje, who also serves as Deputy Minority Whip in the National Assembly.
According to the itinerary, KDF will serve seven constituencies — including Embakasi Central, Embakasi East, Embakasi South, Embakasi West, Kamukunji, Makadara, and Starehe — at Nyayo Stadium.
Constituents from Kasarani, Ruaraka, Mathare, and Roysambu will converge at Kasarani Stadium, while Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Lang’ata, Kibra, and Westlands will all share Jamhuri Grounds.
‘Logistical chaos’
The MPs warned that such clustering would not only create logistical chaos but also compromise fairness, security, and transparency in the recruitment process.
“Nairobi County is a unique administrative and demographic reality. With a metropolitan population of more than 5.7 million people in 2025, it accounts for nearly 10 percent of Kenya’s population,” the lawmakers said.
“The logistical parameters of this recruitment exercise, as currently structured , demonstrably fail to account for the unique demographic challenges and high population density of Nairobi.”
They cited Article 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality before the law and prohibits both direct and indirect discrimination, and Article 10, which anchors equity and fairness as core national values.
The MPs demanded immediate corrective action, including review of recruitment centres – creation of separate centres for each of Nairobi’s 17 constituencies.
They also called for affirmative action measures – to address disadvantages faced by urban youth due to high population density and limited opportunities.
The leaders cautioned they will interpret failure to act as “a deliberate act of discrimination against the people of Nairobi.”
The nationwide KDF recruitment drive, scheduled for October, will target General Service Officer (GSO) Cadets, Specialist Officers, General Duty Recruits, Tradesmen and women, and Defence Forces Constables.
While KDF has emphasized that the process will be free, transparent, and corruption-free, Nairobi leaders insist that fairness cannot be achieved unless the recruitment itinerary is restructured to reflect the capital’s population size and diversity.
