Members of Parliament from Nairobi County have petitioned the Ministry of Defence to review the 2025 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment criteria, citing that it discriminates against city residents.
In a letter dated September 16, 2025, and addressed to Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, the MPs say the advertised recruitment itinerary unfairly disadvantages Nairobi’s 17 constituencies.
The letter, signed by Senator Edwin Sifuna, Deputy Minority Whip Mark Mwenje, and 17 MPs from the county, demands urgent rectification.
“It is our considered view, and the overwhelming sentiment of our constituents, that the recruitment itinerary as currently published is manifestly skewed against the people of Nairobi County,” the lawmakers wrote.
According to the recruitment schedule published on September 14, only a handful of venues have been allocated for Nairobi applicants.
Nyayo Stadium will serve Embakasi Central, Embakasi East, Embakasi South, Embakasi West, Kamukunji, Makadara, and Starehe constituencies.
Kasarani, Ruaraka, Mathare, and Roysambu constituencies will share the Moi International Sports Centre, while Jamhuri Grounds has been assigned for Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Lang’ata, Kibra, and Westlands.
The MPs argue that concentrating dozens of constituencies into a few centres presents a logistical nightmare and denies Nairobi residents equal opportunity.
They insist the recruitment plan violates Article 27 of the Constitution, which guarantees equality, fairness, and non-discrimination.
“The principles of equity and non-discrimination are also part of the national values and principles of governance under Article 10 of the Constitution. Equity refers to the quality of being fair and impartial. It entails treating people in a way that the outcome for each can be the same,” the leaders said.
With a population of more than 5.7 million, Nairobi is home to about 9.5 per cent of Kenyans.
The MPs say the allocation of just three recruitment centres for the capital is inadequate, given its high population density and unique demographic challenges.
“This recruitment plan is a clear affront to the constitutional right to equal opportunity. This creates an unnecessary barrier to access for qualified candidates from these constituencies,” they wrote.
The legislators issued two key demands: that each of Nairobi’s 17 constituencies be allocated its own recruitment centre, and that affirmative action policies be introduced to address the disadvantages faced by young people in urban areas.
They gave the Defence Ministry seven days to respond, and failure to take immediate and decisive action on the matter will be seen as a deliberate act of discrimination against the constituents they represent.
