President William Ruto has explained why he appointed Lt. General Francis Omondi Ogolla as the new Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), a decision he claims went against the wishes of many.
During a joint media interview from State House on Sunday, Ruto stated that he had been advised not to reward General Ogolla with the appointment due to allegations that he was part of the team that attempted to overturn his presidential victory in September 2022.
Ruto stated that, despite the latter, his qualifications outweighed his past actions, and that he was the best-suited candidate for the job.
“General Ogolla is among the people who went to Bomas to try and overturn my victory but because when I looked at his CV, he was the best person to be General. Many things that are part of my system overweighed what he had done,” he said.
He also stated that he prefers to make deliberate appointments and that his decisions are not influenced by an individual’s affiliation as long as they have a stellar track record.
“I could have appointed anybody I had I think 10 choices, people say that I appointed Ogolla because he was the deputy CDF, but that is not the case. I made the decision consciously and I made it against the advise of many people.”
He also stated that prior to the appointment, he met with Ogolla, who admitted to playing a role in attempting to derail the presidential victory.
Ruto stated that during the meeting, he made it clear that he will still appoint him because he has exceptional merit.
“I called him and I sat him down. I told him my friend you went to Bomas to try and overturn my victory but because you are the best person to be general I am going to give you the job. That is how it works with me,” he pointed out.
“He told me ‘I have no defence you do with me whatever you want. What I did was wrong’. What exercised my mind is that yes, this gentleman might have made a mistake maybe because the commander in chief that time told him what to do.”
General Ogolla assumed command on April 29, succeeding General Robert Kariuki Kibochi, whose tenure had come to an end.
He was the Vice Chief of the Defence Forces (VCDF) until his appointment.
