All is set for the official change of guard at the Department of Defence headquarters with plans for the occasion scheduled for Friday, May 5.
Outgoing Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Robert Kibochi will officially be pulled out of the Ulinzi House aboard a land rover by officers of the rank of Maj Gen and above in a ceremony to mark the end of his reign there.
He has served in the military for a record 44 years and will now hand over to Gen Francis Ogolla. Gen Ogolla was named the CDF on April 28.
Officials have warned of possible disruption of traffic on roads near Ulinzi House in Hurlingham for the better part of the day as the military mark the event they term as significant.
The first phase of the event will take place at the Ulinzi Sports Complex-Langata (USCL) while phase two will be at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) Officers, DoD said.
As part of his exit from the service, Gen Kibochi has been meeting senior officials at the military and later visited service head offices including the army, Kenya Airforce and Navy.
He on May 3, 2023, made a transitional visit to the Kenya Air Force (KAF) at Moi Air Base (MAB).
He later visited the army headquarters, Navy and colleges. He was in the company of Gen Ogolla and Vice Chief of Defence Forces (VCDF) Lit Gen Jonah Mwangi.
The aim of the visit was to give an opportunity to the outgoing CDF to bid farewell to the defence fraternity in line with military traditions, DoD said.
He expressed his gratitude for their dedication in air operations not only in Kenya but within the region, the latest being the evacuation of Kenyans from Sudan.
“I am happy to be here, God has been faithful for the 44 years that I have served the nation. One time, I was here being handed over the responsibility of being the CDF, but today I am handing it over to Gen Ogolla,” he said at Moi Air Base.
Image: HANDOUT
He highlighted plans in regard to the soldier-centric approach to mission readiness.
This included soldiers’ remuneration, health care system, housing, training, and welfare for soldiers’ families.
“I will be handing over the flag this week to Gen Ogolla to continue from where I have left. But please give him all the support he needs. Working together is important, and it will make us a stronger team. What we have done together will continue propelling us in the future.”
Gen Kibochi has been pushing for a vision of “sharpening the arrowhead for mission readiness” which has seen him construct more hospitals for the service and trained more personnel.
He leaves a defence force that he says is prepared for any eventuality.
For the past three years he has been the CDF, he had reenergized the military to be ready for any threat that may emerge.
He said consistent training of his personnel is key for survival and enables them to be ready for any threat.
Gen Kibochi said using consistent training, his mission and vision will be how he has made the Kenya Defence Forces be ready to confront any emerging threat in the vast changing environment.
“My vision was… how do I reenergize the perspectives of our ability to be mission ready. Because if the threat is changing at a very fast pace you have to be able to be mission ready,” he said.
