KDF recruitment: Court allows DCI to detain man posing as Brigadier

A Nairobi court has granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) permission to continue holding Joshua Mutui Muimi for seven days to complete their probe into allegations that he posed as a senior military officer.

Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina yesterday ruled in favour of the DCI, allowing the detention to extend beyond the statutory 24 hours.

“I find that the application by the state is merited and the respondent is detained at Parklands Police Station for seven days,” Onyina ordered.

The case arises from an incident on Monday when Mutui was reportedly arrested at Chery Apartments in Nairobi’s Kilimani area for posing as a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Brigadier.

According to the DCI affidavit sworn by Police Constable Wilson Kamundi, the investigating officer in the matter, Mutui had been issuing Ministry of Defence calling letters to unsuspecting Kenyans, instructing them to report to the Recruit Training School (RTS) in Eldoret.

“I am conversant with facts of this matter and thus competent to swear this affidavit,” Kamundi stated.

“The respondent was found dressed in full Kenya Air Force military regalia with a name tag ‘MJ Muimi’, Brigadier in rank, together with gorget patches,” he added.

A search of the apartment yielded multiple items, including six admission letters, seven calling letters with identical serial numbers, seven fingerprint forms, a Yilmaz defense manufacturing solutions manual, a blue stamp pad, Mutui’s ID card, a KCSE certificate suspected to belong to a victim, and a Toyota Axio motor vehicle registration No. KDJ 473A bearing a Kenya Defence Forces sticker.

“The applicant will be taking the items recovered, including the uniform and military regalia, to the Department of Defence headquarters to confirm if they belong or originated from them,” Kamundi said in the affidavit.

He noted that it was unclear how long it would take for the Department of Defence to provide the necessary confirmation. The affidavit also revealed potential financial exploitation.

Military police officers who became aware of the arrest informed investigators that they had received a report from Brenda Chepkorir of Kericho, whose name appears on the recovered KCSE certificate, alleging that she paid Sh510,000 to Mutui in exchange for joining the Kenya Army.

“The applicant needs to trace and record her statement,” the affidavit reads.

DCI detectives further cited concerns that Mutui might attempt to flee if released on bond term adding that his permanent place of residence was unknown.

This risk, coupled with the ongoing forensic verification of recovered documents and items, formed the basis of the DCI’s request for extended detention.

"We seeking to have Mutui detained beyond the standard 24-hour period for investigation into personation, contrary to Section 382(1) of the Penal Code and subject his phone to forensic investigations and record statements from key witnesses," Kaamundi told the court.

Mutui remains in lawful custody at Parklands Police Station as investigators continue to verify the recovered documents and interview alleged victims. The case will be mentioned on November 24,2025.

He was arrested following a tip-off from concerned members of the public in Westlands that Mutui was issuing calling letters to gullible jobseekers after detectives from Parklands Police Station traced him to his house in Kilimani.

The military concluded its nationwide recruitment exercise last month on October 25, 2025. Successful General Duty Recruits were expected to immediately report to Eldoret for basic military training.

When she officially launched the recruitment exercise on October 14, Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya pledged a zero-tolerance approach to corruption while affirming government’s resolve to ensure a fair and transparent process.

Tuya acknowledged that past recruitment exercises have experienced malpractice but hastened to add that investigations have led to arrests and disciplinary action taken against those involved.

According to the CS, most of the reported cases involved fraudsters masquerading as KDF officers.