On Tuesday, EACC arrested two suspects in Kilifi County who were accused of taking a Sh. 250,000 bribe from a complainant in the KDF recruitment exercise.

The two, Salim Mohammed and Fredrick Halisi solicited the money on fake promises that the complainant would receive a sure-bet slot into Kenya’s elite force.

They were arrested at Magarini, Kilifi County and later taken to EACC’s Malindi offices where they were processed.

As per the released statement, the complainant alleges that he had taken a bank loan of Sh. 250,000 to facilitate payment of the bribe and escape the induction procedure. the fraudsters lied that they were well-connected in the system.

“EACC arrested two civilians who had solicited and received Sh. 250,000 from the complainant as an inducement to facilitate his recruitment and admission to the Kenya Defence Forces during the ongoing recruitment,” the report read in part.

“The complainant reportedly took a bank loan of Sh. 250,000 to pay the demanded bribe after the suspects told him that they had ‘deep connections’ in the KDF through which they could secure him a chance.”

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This comes on the backdrop of the ongoing fight against corruption within the military, spearheaded by Defence CS Aden Duale. The ministry sent caution messages to Kenyans over the exercise.

“It is ironic that the KDF, one of the most disciplined militaries in the world, has in the past had recruitment exercises marred with indiscipline and unlawful dealings such as bribery and favouritism,” he stated.

The common fraud narrative goes; conmen ask for huge amounts of money even up to Sh. 500,000 promising to get you a slot. Once you pay, they process fake letters for you and disappear for good with your hard-earned cash.

Such cases happen on each recruitment occasion, not only for the KDF but also for the National Police Service.

Duale gave a stern warning to military leaders and officers to desist from engaging in unlawful practices, stating they would be brought to book. The same will apply to forms of nepotism (favouring kin to get recruited).

“In the spirit of meritocracy, we have given a stern warning to our officers taking part in countrywide field events to observe utmost transparency and treat all candidates indiscriminately during the process.”