Ignore height in recruitment, army told

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By LUCAS BARASA lbarassa@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Thursday, August 2  2012 at  05:07

The Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution now wants the Kenya Defence Forces to ignore height as an entry requirement in the ongoing recruitment.

CIC commissioner Kamotho Waiganjo Wednesday said no Kenyan should be denied a chance to join the armed forces due to physical attributes.

Mr Waiganjo, however, commended the KDF for not including height requirements on its adverts in the media on the recruitment.

“As you noticed the adverts did not contain height and other requirements which could be discriminatory,” Mr Waiganjo told the Institute of Certified Public Secretaries of Kenya, Governance Forum at Professional Centre in Nairobi.

He said the height requirement contradicted the constitution as in some districts there could be nobody who meets it.

He said some parts of the country have suffered because of the limitation for long.

He said height was an example of administrative procedures that are wrong and discriminatory.

The armed forces recruitment started countrywide on Monday.

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Mr Waiganjo told the monthly forum that the implementation of the constitution, especially devolution, is faced with challenges.

He was accompanied by ICPSK chairperson Catherine Musakali, vice-chair Pius Nduati, former chairman Sam Ogutha and chief executive officer Joshua Wambua,

He called on Kenyans to be vigilant to ensure the constitution is fully implemented.

“Devolution will deliver what successive governments have failed,” Mr Waiganjo said.

He also called for formulation of policy framework on how national government would look like in a devolved government.

“We should move from where top provincial administrators were appointed without involvement of the public,” he said, adding that districts as they are currently will be phased out under a devolved system.

Mr Waiganjo and Ms Musakali called on professionals to play a major role in ensuring devolution succeeds and monitor implementation of constitution.

Ms Musakali said her institute would conduct monthly forums on governance in the devolved government.

“As professionals, we need to stop and ask ourselves, are we ready. Have we put in place the necessary structures for the county governments. If I am seeking a post as a governor, what are my responsibilities come March 2013. What do we need to put in place between now and 2013?” she asked.

With the devolved system of government coming into play, she said, it is the responsibility as certified secretaries, governance professionals and Kenyans to ensure the allocation of resources in national and county governments is done in a just and equitable manner.

Ms Musakali noted that the law requires that the secretary to the County Public Service Board and all the secretaries to the boards of the city or an urban area be a certified public secretary in good standing.

The County Government Act 2012 further says a member of ICPSK will be appointed by the Cabinet Secretary responsible for Intergovernmental relations, who shall be the secretary to the interim county management board.

“I therefore challenge members of the Institute to prepare adequately to take up these positions and be in the frontline of promoting good governance in order to ensure accountability, transparency, probity and efficiency in the devolved government,” Ms Musakali said.