Man Collapses and Dies While Seeking to Join KDF in Kirinyaga

Tragedy struck a village in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County after a man seeking to join the Kenya Defence Forces collapsed and died.

He collapsed on Tuesday during the ongoing KDF recruitment exercise and was rushed to hospital where he died.

Police said Francis Wachira Kabuga collapsed after finishing the final lap while entering the gate of the stadium where first aid was administered before he was rushed to the Kianyaga sub-county hospital.

The cause of the death is yet to be established. He was later taken to Kerugoya County Referral Hospital as his condition worsened, where he died in the evening.

Kirinyaga East sub-county police commander Millicent Ochuka said said the deceased was running with other recruits before he developed complications and died after being taken to Kerugoya Hospital.

Read: KDF Recruitment Kicks Off in 374 Centres Amid Fears of Graft

Police said they are waiting for postmortem to establish what caused his death. The family of the deceased said Wednesday they were shocked with the news of the death.

Many Kenyans seeking to join the service have expressed disappointment at the manner in which it is being conducted.

Those interviewed feel there is lack of fairness and openness in the exercise.

KDF is seeking to hire General Service Officer (GSO) Cadets (Regular and Graduate degree holders), Specialist Officers, General Duty Recruits, Tradesmen/women, and Defence Forces Constables.

All interested candidates for Specialist Officers and Tradesmen/women vacancies had to apply online.

Read Also: Ministry of Defence Releases Dates for KDF Recruitment

The deadline for applications for these categories was August 20.

Shortlisted candidates will be notified through the print media between September 17 to 24, 2023.

The other group will be recruited at various centres between August 28 and September 8.

About 3,000 recruits will join the service for training at the Recruit Training School in Eldoret and Lanet in Nakuru.