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{
    "id": 1277337,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1277337/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 282,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Aden Duale",
    "speaker_title": "The Cabinet Secretary for Defence",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 15,
        "legal_name": "Aden Bare Duale",
        "slug": "aden-duale"
    },
    "content": " Hon. Speaker, in answering this Question, I want to urge the country and the House not to judge us based on the previous recruitment as a benchmark. This will be the first recruitment in this administration under my leadership. The Constitution of Kenya guides the recruitment process of the KDF, specifically Article 10(1)(c), which protects and provides for national values and principles of governance, which bind all State organs and officers, public officers, and all persons, whenever any of them makes or implements public policy decisions. The Ministry of Defence is determined to protect Kenyans from fraudsters posing as KDF recruitment agents, who are bent on marring an open, free, and fair recruitment process. At the beginning of every recruitment cycle, eligible applicants are provided with clear guidelines on when and where they should present themselves and how to apply to join the KDF. Indeed, the public is always advised during the recruitment drive to avoid giving bribes and other favours to impersonating officers on the pretext that they will be assisted in securing employment in the KDF. The aforesaid notwithstanding, there are isolated instances where KDF personnel have been involved in recruitment malpractices. To serve as a deterrent, all suspected cases have been thoroughly investigated, and those found culpable are subjected to the judicial process in the form of court-martial, often leading to dismissal from service or imprisonment. I provided about five or six copies of the answers to this House. I have attached Annex A, which provides the status of the completed and ongoing cases of individual officers, more so General Officers, who have been prosecuted since the last recruitment held in July 2022. That Annex indicates the ranks of those officers and the crime committed. All these officers faced court martial precisely because of recruitment malpractices. The second question was to explain the affirmative action strategies that the Government is putting in place to ensure that Kenyans from marginalized communities and regions are considered for the ever-elusive military jobs. Allow me to explain a fact here. Devolution was meant to solve marginalization. I am sure there are issues but the term 'marginalised' will be a thing of the past very soon. KDF is very conscious of the country's ethnic diversity and always promotes a national outlook among its ranks. If you look at the hierarchy and leadership of KDF, on the face of it, it represents the face of Kenya in terms of diversity, tribe, religion, and region. This is predicated on the Defence Forces' primary role of defending and protecting the country based on inclusion. Therefore, the distribution of slots, selection, and devolvement of KDF human capital is inherently reflected in the face of Kenya on account of equity as required by the Constitution. One of the guiding principles in the KDF Act 2012 stipulates that recruitment must reflect the diversity of the Kenyan people in an allowable proportion that ensures that the composition of the command of KDF also embraces the principle of equity and inclusivity. Since I took The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}