23/04/2024
Interesting stuff in military succession & Why The Next CDF will be From The Kalenjin Community!
The defence council could have had an option of letting the Air force complete their years in rotation but there is no Lt. General in the Air force, their snr most is a major general - Major Gen Omeda who is the current service commander, technically he cannot jump a rank to a general.
That takes us to the Navy,
Currently in the Navy we have two Lt. Generals; Lt. Gen Jimson Longiro Mutai and Lt. Gen Charles Muriu while the Navy service commander is a Major General-Thomas Ng'ang'a
Mutai is the current chief of The National Defence University while Muriu is the VCDF.
Going by the KDF traditions, for one to be appointed the CDF one must have served as a service commander, Lt. General Jimson Longiro Mutai served as the service commander for the Navy before being appointed to the NDU, while Lt. General Muriu has never served as a service commander.
Same situation that happened during the appointment of CDF Ogola, then the Airforce had Lt. Gen Mohammed Badi and Lt. Gen Francis Ogola, Badi had not served as a service commander so he was out leaving President Ruto with only Ogola as the only option for the CDF. This time he has Lt. Gen Jimson Longiro Mutai.
In the most unlikely event, the Tonje rules and traditions may be ignored since they are not laws; we have other Lt. Generals in the KDF in the Army - Lt. Gen David Kimaiyo Tarus , Lt. Gen Alphaxard Kiungu and Lt. Gen Juma Shee but only Lt. General David kimaiyo is a candidate for CDF having served as the current service commander for the Kenya army.
So the CIC of defence forces has only two options;
Lt. Gen Jimson Longiro Mutai or Lt. Gen David Kimaiyo Tarus!
Note! The Lt. Gen Charles Muriu is the acting CDF, He will serve until the next sitting of the Defence Council!