Make recruitment safer

The annual police and military recruitment are ready sources of employment for a few young people. The opportunities are always a drop in the ocean due to the acute unemployment in the country.

However, to some crooked people in the National Police Service and the Kenya Defence Forces, recruitment is a godsend. Some parents and guardians, keen to see their children hired, will sell their livestock or land to grease the palms of the recruiters.

Sadly, recruitment into the disciplined service is mired in corruption. But the arrest and prosecution of some masterminds have not been enough deterrents. Some parents allege having been asked to pay Sh300,000 to have their children recruited.

Manipulation of these opportunities denies deserving cases a chance to serve their country. The danger is, those who bribe their way into the job might become obsessed with recouping their illegal investment, fuelling graft in the institutions.

Another source of concern is the age-old recruitment guidelines that sometimes endanger the lives of would-be recruits. While it is important that the best candidates, who are physically fit, join the police and military, the almost total exclusion of other qualities does not make sense.

Why, for instance, must everybody run long distances through treacherous terrain? It is possible for people who are not good runners to have other qualities that would enable them to serve their country well.

During the ongoing police recruitment in Bungoma County, one person collapsed and died after running around the field several times.

 Perhaps the time has come to examine the candidates before asking them to run. The recruitment guidelines should be reviewed and improved for the safety of those wishing to be recruited into the disciplined service.