PH
Kenyan President William Ruto selected Charles Muriu Kahariri new defense chief on Thursday, following his predecessor’s death in a helicopter crash.
He replaces Francis Omondi Ogolla, who was one of ten military soldiers killed when their helicopter crashed in a remote area of northeastern Kenya on April 18.
Kahariri had previously served as deputy to Ogolla, 62, who had been Chief of Defence Forces for a year and was set to complete 40 years of military service.
According to a defense ministry profile, Kahariri, a former Kenya Navy deputy commander, joined the Kenya Defence Forces in April 1987 and rose through the ranks over “his illustrious career spanning over three decades”.
The married father of three took part in Kenya’s cross-border incursion into Somalia in 2011 to flush out Al-Shabaab rebels.
The offensive followed the kidnapping of four foreigners, including two Spanish charity workers, from a massive refugee camp near the border.
During the military campaign known as “Operation Linda Nchi” (Swahili for “Protect the Country”), Kahariri was the commander of the marine component.
The US Naval War College graduate led the task force that seized the Al-Shabaab stronghold of Kismayo, a strategic port that served as a “commercial hub” for the Islamists.
Ruto made various appointments, including the promotion of Kahariri to the position of Defence Chief and the rank of General.
He also appointed Major General Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed as commander of the Kenya Air Force, the first woman in the country’s history to do so.
She succeeds John Mugaravai Omenda, who was elevated to Vice Chief of Defence Forces and Lieutenant General.
Major General Paul Owuor Otieno was also appointed head of the navy.
Kenyan military regulations allow for only one four-star general at any given time, with the president – a civilian — serving as the commander-in-chief.
