A section of youth who turned up for the Kenya Defence Forces recruitment exercise at Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega on September 4, 2023. [File, Standard]
Why Nairobi MPs want KDF recruitment stopped
National
By
Brian Otieno
| Oct 05, 2025
Members of Parliament from Nairobi have petitioned the court to stop the planned recruitment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers, arguing that lumping different constituencies into three recruitment zones is discriminatory.
The capital’s 17 Members of Parliament, alongside Senator Edwin Sifuna and Women Representative Esther Passaris instead, want KDF to conduct the exercise in all 17 sub-counties, as is the case with other counties.
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They have sued Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, Principal Secretary Mariru and Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, who they accuse of unfairly discriminating against Nairobi through the recruitment exercise planned for this month.
In an affidavit, Embakasi West Mark Mwenje faulted the consolidation of the recruitment to Nyayo Stadium, Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani and Jamhuri Grounds as inequitable and discriminatory.
“The consolidation of Nairobi recruitment centres presents an unconstitutional barrier to access, as many qualified Nairobi residents will be unable to participate meaningfully in the recruitment exercise,” Mwenje swore.
According to a September 14 notice by the KDF, Nyayo Stadium will serve Embakasi Central, Embakasi East, Embakasi West, Embakasi North, Embakasi South, Kamkunji, Makadara and Starehe constituencies.
The Kasarani stadium will cater to Ruaraka, Mathare and Roysambu, with Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Lang’ata, Kibra and Westlands served by Jamhuri Grounds.
Young individuals from Suna East Sub-County in Migori on August 28, 2023 turned out to participated in the KDF recruitment in various locations across the country. [File, Standard]
“Nairobi County, with a metropolitan population of more than 5.7 million persons, accounting for 9.5% of Kenya’s population, has unique demographic and logistical realities. Consolidating its 17 constituencies into a handful of recruitment centres is inequitable, discriminatory, and disproportionate when compared to recruitment arrangements in other counties,” added Mwenje.
He said that the exercise risks disadvantaging Nairobi’s youth from accessing KDF employment opportunities, which Mwenje argued violated the constitutional principles of fairness, equality and equity, guaranteed by Articles 10 and 27 of the Constitution, as well as Articles 73 and 232 that demand transparency in public service recruitment.
The MPs had sought to have the recruitment halted pending the determination of the matter they also wanted to be declared urgent. Neither of the two prayers was granted.
High Court judge Lawrence Mugambi directed the MPs to serve the three respondents in the matter by last Friday. He also directed that responses and submissions filed and served by tomorrow, with a brief oral highlighting scheduled for Tuesday before Justice Bahati Mwamuye.
The KDF’s mass recruitment exercise has openings for general service officers, specialist officers, general duty recruits, tradespersons, and constables. They did not specify the targeted number of recruits. The last such recruitment was in September 2023.
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