A former Kenya Defence Forces officer and former Meru Gubernatorial candidate Captain Mwenda Mbijiwe revealed that the ongoing inspection of the dental formula of the KDF recruits is a must do.
Speaking on Monday when he appeared on Citizen TV’s Extra show, Mr Mbijiwe revealed that a tooth for the soldier could be useful in the event he is out of ammunitions, adding that one can use it as a weapon against the enemy.
“Soldiers are trained to use anything they have to defeat the enemy, including the teeth. For example, when you are out of bullets or your gun malfunctions, then why not use your teeth to tear into pieces your enemy?” he posed.
In September 2016, for example, hundreds of youth who had turned up for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment in Embu County were turned away due to discoloured or broken teeth. Officials who were leading the recruitment said that it could be due to chewing of a local herb known as muguka, a crop closely related to miraa.
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The former soldier intimated that even clothes worn by soldiers, could at any time be turned into weapons, depending on the circumstances.
2018 recruitment
The Recruitment for the new batch of KDF soldier kicked off on Monday and is set to go on until March 10.
Meanwhile, Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lt Gen Joseph Kasaon is set to commission the recruitment that will be conducted in all constituencies. No one is expected to pay any money.
Various organisations, including National Intelligence Service, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and civil society organisation Transparency International have been invited to observe the exercise as part of efforts to ensure transparency.
Cases of corruption during police and military recruitment have been declining due to various measures that have been put in place. In 2016, there were five cases of corruption involving five people.
At least Sh2 million was paid in bribes compared to 2014, when 16 people were involved and Sh4 million transacted. In 2013, Sh5 million was paid in bribes by various parties.
In the recent past, the recruitment processes have been questioned for what most youth claim have been single handedly abandoned, yet they qualify for the job.