Members of Parliament from Nairobi County, together with Senator Edwin Sifuna and Woman Representative Esther Passaris, have raised the alarm over what they describe as an inequitable and discriminatory recruitment plan by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

The leaders are demanding immediate corrective action to ensure fairness in the ongoing nationwide exercise.

In a joint statement, Sifuna and the 18 MPs faulted the recruitment advertisement published on September 14, 2025.

They argued that the recruitment plan unfairly disadvantages thousands of young people in the capital by allocating just a handful of recruitment centers to cater to the county’s 17 constituencies.

“We, the undersigned Members of Parliament representing the Senate, the 17 constituencies of Nairobi County, and the Women Representative for Nairobi County, wish to address a matter of grave and urgent concern regarding the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment advertisement published on September 14, 2025.

This letter is a formal demand for immediate corrective action to ensure the recruitment exercise adheres to the principles of equity, fairness, and non-discrimination as enshrined in the Constitution of Kenya,” read the statement.

According to the schedule, Nyayo Stadium will serve recruits from Embakasi Central, Embakasi East, Embakasi South, Embakasi West, Kamukunji, Makadara, and Starehe constituencies.

Meanwhile, residents of Kasarani, Ruaraka, Mathare, and Roysambu are expected to converge at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, while those from Dagoretti North, Dagoretti South, Lang’ata, Kibra, and Westlands must report to Jamhuri Grounds.

The lawmakers argue that merging recruitment for many constituencies into a few centers will cause chaos and is unfair compared to other counties, where each sub-county has its own venue.

“Nairobi County is a unique administrative and demographic reality. With a metropolitan. population of more than 5.7 million people in 2025, it is the most populous urban area in Kenya, and accounts for about 9.5% of the country’s population. A significant portion of this population is comprised of young, qualified individuals seeking gainful employment. The logistical parameters of this recruitment exercise, as currently structured, demonstrably fail to account for the unique demographic challenges and high population density of Nairobi.

The allocation for recruitment for Nairobi should be commensurate with the percentage of the population of the country. This recruitment plan is a clear affront to the constitutional right to equal opportunity,” the statement read in part.

Citing Articles 10 and 27 of the Constitution, the MPs insisted that the current plan violates principles of equality, fairness, and non-discrimination.

They warned that having thousands of applicants in just a few locations could lead to confusion and chaos.

They argued that it could cause security problems and reduce transparency in the hiring process.

Further, the leaders have issued the following  two key demands to KDF over recruitment:

The MPs  have also given the Ministry of Defence a seven-day ultimatum to respond, warning that failure to act would be interpreted as “a deliberate act of discrimination against the people of Nairobi.”

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