Hundreds of youth who had turned up for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) recruitment exercise in Lamu on Monday have been turned away for chewing miraa.
Officials conducting the exercise said many of the youth were left out on the ongoing exercise due to discolored teeth caused by chewing miraa.
Senior Recruiting Officer in charge of Lamu West, Lieutenant Canal Zacharia Burudi said many youth were eager to be recruited but due to dental issues they could not be enlisted.
Mr Burudi said the discoloration of their teeth was caused by too much chewing of Miraa or Khat.
“You can’t imagine how many good recruits we have had to let go due to discolored teeth which we learn is caused by too much miraa chewing. If anyone harbors the dream of joining the army, let them guard their teeth at all cost,” said Burudi.
Speaking during the recruitment exercise at the Kibaki Grounds in Lamu town, a senior official noted that the number of female recruits who turned up for this year’s exercise was lower than that of their male counterparts.
According to Mr Burudi, only 15 female candidates turned up but most of them failed to qualify for various reasons.
He further said that more than 30 recruits had to be turned away for being underweight as the required weight for men is 54.5 kilograms while for women is 50.0 kilograms.
“The turnout was generally low for both genders but female turnout was even lower. A huge number also failed to meet the required KCSE aggregate grade of a D plain,” he added.