Over 400 people turned out on the first day of the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment exercise in Mandera County, with an ambition to join the armed forces.

Officer Cadets, General Duty Recruits, Specialist Officers, and Defense Forces constabularies are the jobs the candidates seek.

There was a significant gender difference at the Mandera mass recruitment exercise, with only four young women participating compared to a higher number of male hopefuls.

Lt. Col. Paul Njue, Senior Recruitment Officer, addressed the press and expressed pleasure with the initial attendance, adding that the numbers had been encouraging.


Njue further stated that many young people were excluded from the exercise, some for carrying bogus documents, while others still needed to satisfy the minimum requirements.

He also stated that there had been no reports of bribery in the recruitment and that comprehensive checks would be undertaken to guarantee that acceptable people are hired.

The KDF recruitment period began on August 28 and will end on September 8, 2023.

Vice Chief of Defence Jonah Mwangi said the force aspires to execute a transparent and responsible recruitment exercise while officiating the commencement of the yearly training.

"The public is advised to avoid fraud because it violates KDF values, particularly the value of integrity," Mwangi stated.