Samburu: Women turned away from KDF recruitment exercise

Women from Wamba town, Samburu County on Thursday took to the streets to protest against the county government for alleged gender discrimination during the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment exercise.

They claimed to have been sidelined for the past four years, despite their endless pleas for impartiality during the process when slots are allocated to counties for the  youth to compete for military jobs.

Dominica Nasha, a resident of Wamba, complained that the KDF recruitment officers did not allow her and other young women inside Wamba Mission Stadium where the recruitment was taking place, adding that she had met the basic requirements.

“I have been coming here since 2015 to look for a chance, but all in vain. We keep being  told women are not being recruited. I wonder what will become of us, as we are getting older,” she said.

She also called on the county government to consider gender equality in the KDF recruitment process.

According to Lieutenant Bernard Nicholas Kumba, out of the 12 slots that were reserved for Samburu County, only one female was considered successful.

“We recruited three people in Baragoi on Monday, six including one female at Maralal yesterday and we hope to recruit three young men here at Wamba,” he said.

More than 500 youth in Samburu County, who turned up for the KDF recruitment exercise were turned away for failure to meet certain grades in key subjects despite meeting most of the requirements including the required height, age, a minimum of D (plain) in KCSE and Kenyan nationality among others.

“The recruitment officers are keen on the performance of certain subjects we believe equips one with skills required of a soldier. These include: Mathematics, Physics, Geography and English. This is to ensure that we select the best,” said Lt. Kumba.