A former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) sergeant is appealing for justice after claiming he was unfairly pushed out of the military through a resignation letter he insists he never wrote.
John Musyoka, who joined the Kenya Army in 2003 and served for more than two decades, says his troubles began in August 2024 when he mysteriously disappeared from his family for nearly a week. According to his relatives, repeated attempts to reach him were unsuccessful until his sister traced him to the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital in Nairobi.
Doctors reportedly informed the family that Musyoka had collapsed while on duty at the 75 Artillery Battalion in Embakasi. They said he had suffered an internal injury that left him with memory loss, making it difficult for him to recall events surrounding his admission to hospital.
The family’s shock deepened after learning that a resignation letter bearing Musyoka’s name had allegedly been submitted during the same period he was receiving treatment. The former soldier maintains he never authored or signed the document and says he has repeatedly asked to see a copy without success.
Musyoka argues that military officers leaving service are expected to undergo several clearance and exit procedures, including interviews. He claims those processes were allegedly completed while he was still hospitalized, raising questions about how they could have taken place.
The dispute has left his family in financial hardship. His wife says the family stopped receiving his salary in January 2025, forcing them into difficult circumstances. She revealed that their children have dropped out of school due to lack of fees, while meeting basic household needs has become an everyday struggle.
Musyoka is now appealing to the KDF leadership to review his case and allow him to resume duty if investigations prove his claims.
In response, the Kenya Defence Forces has maintained that his discharge followed established administrative procedures, adding that any former service member dissatisfied with such decisions has the right to pursue the available review and redress mechanisms.