The government has affirmed that the upcoming Kenya Defence Forces(KDF) recruitment exercise will be done in fairness and transparency.

In a Wednesday statement, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale stated that measures have been put in place to ensure a seamless process.

The countrywide event between August 20 and September 24 will be devoid of what he described as corruption and favouritism that has marred past exercises.

Duale revealed that the Defence Ministry has upscaled communication to warn Kenyans from falling prey to fraudsters to curtail any potential for corrupt activities during the recruitment.

 “As we prepare to kick off the enrollment of new entrants into the KDF from next week, we have sent reminders via SMS and other communication platforms to all Kenyans, as a cautionary measure against falling for fraudsters and charlatans masquerading as recruiting officers,” Duale said.

Additionally, Duale stated that in the spirit of meritocracy, his Ministry had instructed its officers participating in a nationwide field event to uphold the strictest standards of transparency and treat every applicant equally.

He issued a dire warning if any officer, candidate, or guardian was discovered engaging in malpractice during the exercise.

“Anyone, officers, guardians or the candidates themselves, who’ll be found breaking the law will be dismissed forthwith and made to face the full wrath of the law,” he added.

The Ministry of Defence seeks to recruit General Service Officer (GSO) Cadets, Specialist Officers, General Duty Recruits, Tradesmen/women, and Defence Forces Constables.

To qualify for the recruitment, candidates must be between 18 and 26 years for GSO Cadets and General Duty Recruits and not above 30 years for Specialist Officers and Tradesmen/women.

They should also not be above 39 years of age for Chaplains/Imams.

Candidates must meet the minimum physical requirements: Minimum height for men 1.60m (5ft 3in) and women 1.52m (5ft). The minimum weight for men is 54.55 kg and for women, 50.00 Kg.