The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the arrest of a man who was impersonating a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) brigadier and offering jobs in the military to unsuspecting victims.

In a statement released on Tuesday, November 18, the KDF revealed that the imposter had been arrested in his Kilimani apartment while dressed in full Kenya Air Force regalia.

According to the statement, the man had been deceiving youth by providing them with fake recruitment letters for the Recruit Training School (RTS) in Eldoret.

The DCI also revealed that several items had been recovered in the raid, including documents bearing the Ministry of Defence logo, six fake admission letters with the same serial number, seven fingerprint forms and a Yilmaz Defence Industry ammunition manufacturing manual, as well as other incriminating materials.

“Parklands detectives have arrested an impostor who has been parading himself as a Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) brigadier, preying on the hopes of innocent citizens and extorting money in the guise of recruitment,” noted the DCI.

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“The suspect, who had upgraded himself from civilian to “KDF brigadier” without ever seeing a parade square, has been on a money-minting spree, conning hopeful youths with fake recruitment letters to the Recruit Training School (RTS) in Eldoret,” added the DCI.

The DCI urged the public to shun shortcuts in recruitment into the security sector, affirming that genuine enlistment is free, fair and transparent.

The arrest came three weeks after the culmination of the KDF recruitment exercise, which began on Monday, October 13 and ran till Saturday, October 25.

In the recruitment exercise, the nation’s military sought interested and qualified Kenyans to become General Service Officer (GSO) cadets – regular and graduate, Specialist Officers, General Duty Recruits, Tradesmen and Women, and Defence Forces Constables.

Ahead of the recruitment, KDF urged interested applicants to strictly adhere to the application guidelines, such as submitting their applications via online means. 

For one to qualify for the recruitment, one had to be a Kenyan and have their original and copies of their National ID Card, KRA PIN, and academic certificates.

The recruitment was to be done nationwide, with recruiting teams drawn from the Kenya Army, Kenya Air Force, and Kenya Navy deployed at designated recruitment centres across the country.

Meanwhile, the DCI disclosed that the impersonator had been arrested and in police custody pending arraignment in court.