The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) has issued a stern warning to the public against falling prey to a fraudulent recruitment advertisement currently circulating online.
The Ministry of Defence, through Assistant Director of Public Communications Grace Mwanja, clarified that no official recruitment drive is underway, debunking the claims that have been widely shared on social media platforms.
The alleged advertisement states that a recruitment exercise for both service personnel and civilian employees within the Ministry of Defence will commence on August 26 and run through to September 9, 2024.
The advertisement according to KDF misleadingly instructs potential candidates to visit the Ministry’s job portal for application details, even cautioning against engaging in malpractices during the purported recruitment process.
Mwanja, in her statement, emphasised that the KDF has not advertised any such recruitment process. She reiterated that official recruitment drives are announced through credible channels, including mainstream media, the Ministry’s official website, and KDF’s verified social media accounts.
This process, she stressed, remains free of charge for all eligible candidates, contrary to the suggestions made in the fraudulent advertisements.
The Ministry of Defence is not taking this matter lightly. Efforts are underway to trace the origins of this misleading information, with a commitment to hold those responsible accountable.
Mwanja urged Kenyans to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activities or individuals claiming to be conducting recruitment on behalf of the KDF. The public is encouraged to report such cases to the nearest police station or military camp.
This warning comes amid growing concerns over the exploitation of job seekers by fraudulent schemes that have seen some Kenyans fall prey at home and abroad.
The surge in scams coincides with rising unemployment, as reflected in data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). By December 2022, over 2.97 million Kenyans were jobless, a 2.94 per cent increase from 2.89 million in September 2022.
This points to a struggling labour market, weakened by high inflation and declining activity in the agricultural sector. The brunt of this crisis has fallen on the youth, with more than half of the unemployed—1.54 million people—being between 20 and 29 years old.
This situation is particularly dire for the over one million young graduates who enter the job market each year, only to find low-cadre positions like clerks increasingly scarce.
In 2023, a military recruitment drive attracted thousands of youth, who camped at Embakasi Garrison, in hopes of securing a coveted spot among the 350 job vacancies advertised by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) painting a vivid picture of the job crisis in the country.
