Gachagua Reveals Changes He Will Make to KDF, Police Recruitment if Elected President

Former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua has promised the Kenyan youth that joining the uniformed services will be fair and structured. 

Speaking in Embakasi Central on Sunday, November 9, Gachagua claimed that the recruitment into the National Police Service (NPS) and the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), especially in Nairobi, had been bungled by the successive regimes.

According to him, the recruitment ought to be allowed to everyone in their exact location without sending the recruits to their native regions.

"I want to say that recruitment into the military and the police service will be undertaken in each subcounty. We don't want our people to be told to go back to their native homes. My government will ensure that everyone is recruited fairly in each sub-county of Nairobi," he said.

Gachagua's pronouncement came months after Nairobi County MPs raised concerns over the KDF recruitment process in the capital, criticising it as unjust and discriminatory.

They called for an immediate overhaul of the recruitment schedule, arguing that it disadvantages city residents by clustering several constituencies into just a few centralised venues.

As per a recruitment advertisement issued in September, candidates from Embakasi Central, Embakasi East, Embakasi South, Embakasi West, Kamukunji, Makadara, and Starehe were all expected to report to Nyayo Stadium.

Those from Kasarani, Ruaraka, Mathare, and Roysambu were directed to Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani, while applicants from Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Lang’ata, Kibra, and Westlands were assigned to Jamhuri Grounds.

The MPs contended that such a setup contrasted sharply with practices in other counties, where recruitment centres are distributed at the sub-county level.

They argued that the plan violated constitutional principles of equity and non-discrimination, citing Article 27 on equal protection under the law and Article 10 on national values and governance.

The MPSs warned that funnelling thousands of applicants into a few locations could lead to logistical bottlenecks, compromising security and eroding transparency.

The legislators urged the Ministry of Defence to revise the schedule and allocate distinct recruitment centres for each of Nairobi's 17 constituencies.

Additionally, they advocated for affirmative action to improve access for urban youth, who face heightened challenges due to high population density and limited employment opportunities.