Hundreds of women have been turned away during the Kenya Defence Forces recruitment in Lamu for failing to produce their original identification and academic documents.
The exercise took place on Monday at the Kibaki grounds on Lamu island. It attracted more than 500 young men and women.
KDF Lieutenant Colonel Johnson Elim Simba, who was in charge, said most of the candidates carried only photocopies of their certificates even after the announcement directed potential recruits to also carry along their original documents.
Unlike other years when the turnout for female candidates has been lower, this year’s exercise saw hundreds of them show up. However, only six women proceeded to the rest of the recruitment stages that included physical fitness and medical tests.
Lt. Col. Simba said the candidates claimed to have forgotten the original documents at home hence locking themselves out of the exercise.
The majority of the male candidates couldn’t make it as they had not carried their national ID cards.
“We were clear that they need to carry the original documents starting from IDs, birth certificates and academic ones. But most came with photocopies especially ladies, while men forgot their IDs,” Simba said.
The military official did not however disclose the exact number of recruits targeted from Lamu in this year's exercise.
“Those that will pass the tests will definitely be selected to join the military,” Simba said.
He advised youth with a dream of joining the military to stay away from drugs and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
“I am not saying we have found recruits using drugs, no. This is just free and brotherly advice from me to them. In the military, health and fitness are crucial,” he added.
Other than lack of documents, others were turned away for issues such as weight. Ahmed Omar, 25, for instance, was turned away for the third time for being underweight.
The required weight for KDF male recruits is 54.55kg, while for women is 50kg.
“I have been trying to get in since 2019 when I was 23. I am not giving up. I am going to change my diet and work on gaining weight and try again next time,” Omar said.
-Edited by SKanyara
