Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya has announced plans to change the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment system to curb fraud and ensure equitable representation.
Speaking before the Senate on Wednesday, March 19, Tuya revealed that fraudsters have been deceiving the public with fake recruitment notices and impersonating senior military officers.
"Sometime late last year, we got a fully fledged notification of recruitment with all the logos of the KDF and the Ministry [of Defence] published out there, and we had no such recruitment going on. Actually, we have Kenyans masquerading as generals out there with full uniform, full ranks, and the like," she said.
To address these concerns, Tuya stated that the Defense Council is working on a more secure and transparent recruitment system.
"The defense council, which I chair, is currently working on a watertight system of recruitment because one of the key principles of national security is that the recruitment of the national security organs must reflect the diversity of Kenyans and must be in equitable proportions," she added.
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This announcement comes weeks after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen announced that the government will leverage technology in the next police recruitment exercise.
Speaking at GSU Headquarters on Thursday, March 6, Murkomen detailed that there were ongoing talks with the National Police Service Commission (NPSC) on how technology can be used to enhance transparency in recruitment.
He added that the technology to be deployed will eliminate situations where Kenyans are conned by individuals purporting to sell slots to the recruits.
"Because it was the recommendation of the taskforce, we are also going to do recruitment in a more transparent manner. We are working with NPSC to make sure that technology is deployed to protect our citizens.
"It will also make sure that nobody is conned and ensure that all citizens of this country see a more transparent exercise," he said.
Automation of police recruitment exercises was one of the recommendations made by the taskforce led by former Chief Justice David Maraga.
"To stem malpractices in recruitment into the Services and promote competence, accountability and integrity, the Taskforce recommends automation of the recruitment processes, starting with online applications for the advertised positions followed by personal interviews at the recruitment centres," read the report in part.
