A former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer has accused the military of unfairly dismissing him and withholding Sh1.5 million in terminal benefits, saying his 2018 dismissal was unjust and his repeated requests for compensation were ignored.
Tonny Soya Muok, a former Navy officer, appeared on Thursday before the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations, explaining that he was wrongly reported as absent without leave while hospitalised.
Muok told the committee, chaired by Belgut MP Nelson Koech, that he was admitted to the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital in 2018 but was still listed as absent without official leave for 19 days. “I was reported as absent without official leave when in reality I was admitted to the hospital. My dismissal was unjust,” he said.
He said that since his dismissal, he has sought redress from the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), which intervened by writing to the KDF on his behalf.
However, Muok said the Military Disciplinary Unit never fully addressed the matter.
Committee Vice Chairperson, Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi, noted that under the Kenya Defence Forces Act, 2012, reinstatement of a dismissed officer can only be considered three years after dismissal and following a successful review.
“As a retired Major, I would advise you to pursue compensation for wrongful dismissal rather than reinstatement,” Bashir said, adding that Muok has been out of service for seven years, making reinstatement impractical. “Your case could still warrant consideration for payment of outstanding dues.”
Koech assured Muok that the committee would engage the Ministry of Defence to investigate the allegations, particularly regarding the reported non-payment of dues and the welfare of serving and retired officers.
He confirmed that Defence CS Soipan Tuya will appear before the committee to respond to the claims.
“The Committee takes this matter seriously and will follow up with the Ministry of Defence to ensure that answers are provided,” Koech said.