Eighteen lawmakers from Nairobi have accused the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) of sidelining the capital in its latest nationwide recruitment drive, warning that the current plan risks chaos and breaches constitutional principles of fairness.
In a letter tabled in Parliament this week, Embakasi West MP and Minority Whip Mark Mwenje, backed by 17 colleagues, argued that the Defence Ministry had failed to account for Nairobi’s size and density.
“The allocation for recruitment in Nairobi should match the proportion of our population,” the MPs wrote. “Concentrating thousands of applicants from a diverse and densely populated region into a few centres is a recipe for disorder and a clear affront to equal opportunity.”
Under the KDF schedule, just three venues have been set aside for the city’s more than four million residents. Nyayo Stadium will cater for six constituencies, including the four Embakasis, Kamukunji and Starehe. Moi International Sports Centre in Kasarani has been assigned Kasarani, Ruaraka, Mathare and Roysambu. Meanwhile, Jamhuri Grounds will serve candidates from Kibra, Lang’ata, Westlands and both Dagorettis.
By contrast, the MPs noted, other counties have been granted recruitment centres in every sub-county. Nairobi, they argued, deserves the same treatment. They are pushing for 17 centres — one for each constituency — and have given the Ministry of Defence seven days to respond.
The Ministry has yet to reply publicly. KDF announced the exercise on September 15, inviting candidates for General Service Officer cadets, tradesmen and women, and specialists in fields ranging from engineering and ICT to education and supply chain management. The intake is scheduled for October.
Military officials insist the recruitment will be competitive and rigorous, designed to test discipline, patriotism and technical skill.
But for Nairobi MPs, the issue is about fairness as much as logistics. “The logistical parameters of this recruitment exercise, as currently structured, fail to recognise the unique demographic challenges of Nairobi,” their statement said.
The standoff underscores a familiar tension in Kenya’s politics: the capital’s sheer scale often sets it apart from other regions, leaving lawmakers to argue that its residents are not treated in proportion to their numbers.
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