Kenya: Ruto makes succession changes in KDF

NAIROBI, Kenya - Kenya's President William Ruto made potential succession changes in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), in anticipation of the expected retirement of KDF chief Francis Ogolla, who attains a mandatory retirement age of 62 sometime next year.

Gen. Ogolla, the Air Force pilot, was appointed as the Chief of Defence Forces in March 2023, a position he is likely to hold for two years. The KDF doctrines state that a General retires upon attainment of 62 years or having served a full term of 4 years, whichever comes first.

In the changes on Friday, Maj. General Charles Muriu was promoted to Lt. General and appointed the Vice Chief of Defence Forces. He replaces Lt. General Jonah Mwangi who proceeded to retirement but was hours later appointed Kenya's ambassador to Pakistan.

Lt. General Peter Njiru, was replaced by Lt. General David Tarus as Kenya Army commander in the latest changes. Njiru proceeds to Tehran as Kenya's envoy to Iran. Before rising ranks in KDF, Njiru at one point served as aide-de-camp to both President Mwai Kibaki and his successor Uhuru Kenyatta.

But the most critical changes were in Kenya Navy, the service which will provide the next Chief of Defence Forces, upon the retirement of Gen. Ogolla. Navy Commander Jimson Mutai was promoted to Lt. General and appointed as the Vice Chancellor of National Defence University-Kenya.

Gen. Mutai was replaced by Maj. General Ng'ang'a, who takes over in charge of the men in white. The Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lt. General Muriu will be tussling with Lt. General Mutai for the Chief of Defence Forces post.

However, the Lt. General retires at the age of 61, a hindrance to Muriu, who is already 60 while Mutai is 56, putting him in pole position to succeed Ogolla in 2025. The changes will significantly impact Kenya's mission in Somalia.

Already, it is anticipated that by the end of December 2024, the Kenya Defence Forces will have left the Somalia mission in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan. The troops' future will be shaped by the next changes with Kenya evaluating the Al-Shabaab threat before deciding the next course of action.

GAROWE ONLINE