A political standoff is brewing between Nairobi County legislators and Defence Cabinet Secretary (CS) Soipan Tuya over the upcoming Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment exercise scheduled for October 2025.
Led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, 18 MPs have accused the Ministry of Defence of unfairly sidelining Nairobi residents by designating only three recruitment centres for the county despite its large population. They argue this creates logistical challenges and leaves room for outsiders to dominate the exercise, disadvantaging local youth.
In a letter dated September 16 and signed by Embakasi West MP and National Assembly Minority Whip Mark Mwenje alongside 17 other lawmakers, the MPs criticized the recruitment schedule for contravening constitutional principles of fairness and non-discrimination. While other counties enjoy multiple sub-county centres, Nairobi applicants have been clustered into:
- Nyayo Stadium — for Embakasi (East, West, North, South), Kamukunji, Makadara, and Starehe
- Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani — for Kasarani, Ruaraka, Mathare, and Roysambu
- Jamhuri Grounds — for Dagoretti (North, South), Lang’ata, Kibra, and Westlands
The MPs said they had formally raised the issue with CS Tuya but received no response. They now threaten to censure her in Parliament and block the nationwide KDF recruitment unless Nairobi is allocated fair and accessible centres like other counties.
“What we are saying to the CS is we are going to censure her… If this does not change, we will stop the recruitment of KDF officers in the entire country unless Nairobi is treated in the same manner as the other 46 counties,” one MP warned.
The Defence Ministry announced the 2025 KDF recruitment drive on September 15, targeting professionals and officers to join the military. But unless the dispute is resolved, the exercise risks political disruption and possible delays.
