Gen Kibochi Talks Of New Policy In Dealing With Soldiers Engaging In Recruitment Fraud

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 29- In a change of policy, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is changing tact in dealing with recruitment fraud, that has been witnessed every time there is such an exercise.

Soldiers who will be found to have engaged in fraud during recruitment will no longer undergo summary trial- where they are just dismissed from the service without benefits.

KDF Chief of Defence Forces Gen Robert Kibochi said such soldiers will now have to face the military court martial.

“It does not matter whether you are an officer of the rank of Colonel or Brigadier, you will be taken through the court martial process. You will lose your job and go to jail,” he said during an interview with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC).

Already, he said 13 soldiers who are accused of engaging in recruitment fraud are already in the court.

A court-martial is a criminal trial for members of the military who are accused of committing listed crimes.

The court martial may try any offence against service law. The court is made up of a judge advocate, and between three and seven (depending on the seriousness of the offence) officers and warrant officers.

“Bad elements are everywhere and hard to identify. All cases of bribery and corruption that have been reported and those involving military personnel have been investigated and are being dealt with,” Cabinet Secretary for Defence Monica Juma recently said.

The CS was speaking on July 8 when she appeared before the Senate’s Committee on National Security.

Tens of families are said to have lost millions of shillings to fraudsters, during the February recruitment drive by the military.

Some civilians were arrested over the recruitment drive alongside their accomplices in the military.

Despite warnings at the beginning of a recruitment drive, a section of Kenyans still go the extra-mile of giving out cash, even to fraudsters, in the hope of their kin getting a job as a KDF soldier.