Defence CS Aden Duale has opened up on his relationship with former Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla.
Speaking on the transition following his death, Duale said Ogolla was a humble and smart General who is greatly missed.
He described him as a General who listened and believed in equity.
“I have worked with Gen Ogolla as a Vice CDF. When I became Minister for Defence he was VCDF. I worked with him for about 8 months, and then as our Chief of Defence Forces. He was a brilliant general with a lot of humility, down to earth, listens and there was a lot of excitement when he became CDF. One who believes in equity but he died and he became the first CDF to die in office since independence," the Defence CS said.
“We had no choice, that’s how life is. We buried him through military rituals, we gave him a very decent burial, and we miss him. We did the transition in accordance with the law."
He said that even as General Charles Kahariri takes over most of the policies he will implement are those left with General Ogolla.
He said that the main mandate of the KDF is to secure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kenya, and that is what they work towards achieving.
“Now we have leadership led by another smart abs competent General, Kahariri from the Navy, Ogolla was from the Air Force," Duale said.
"The Military works in such a way that the transition happens within the leadership but the policy and doctrine remain. So we are implementing what General Ogolla left us with.”
Francis Ogolla died after a chopper he was travelling in alongside other officials crashed in Kaben, Marakwet East on April 18, 2024.
The Kenya Air Force Huey Helicopter had taken off from a local primary school when it went down and burst into flames.
He died alongside nine other KDF officers who had accompanied him for a tour of several projects they were implementing.
