Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment exercise in Bahati ,Nakuru county on September 6,2023.[Kipsang Joseph,Standard]

The Ministry of Defence has announced the closure of the 2023 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) nationwide recruitment drive, which began on August 28 and ended on September 8.

The exercise aimed to recruit qualified Kenyans for various positions in the military, including General Service Officer Cadets, Graduate General Service Officer Cadets and General Duty Recruits.

Vice Chief of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General J M Mwangi, made the announcement at the Defence Headquarters in Nairobi on Thursday.

He thanked all the youth who participated in the drive and congratulated those who were successful.

"Your presence was a strong demonstration of your patriotism and desire to serve our great Republic. The Ministry of Defence welcomes you to participate in the collective delivery of KDF's constitutional mandate," he said.

He also encouraged those who were not successful to remain steadfast in their quest for opportunities to serve the country.

Lieutenant General Mwangi attributed the success of the exercise to the collaboration and support of various stakeholders, including security agencies, ethics and anti-corruption bodies, the media and members of the public.

"We acknowledge your critical role to observe, report and mitigate against recruitment malpractices. This has largely preserved the integrity of the exercise," he said.

He further advised that shortlisted applicants for the categories of Specialist Officer Cadets, and Artisans or Tradesmen and Women will be notified through the official Ministry of Defence Website and mainstream media between September 17 and 24, 2023.

He also informed that those eligible for the Ex-National Youth Service category are to report to Embakasi Garrison, Nairobi County on September 18 for interviews, while those for the Defence Forces Constables category will report to Kahawa Garisson, Nairobi County for interviews on November 27.