President William Ruto has appointed Lieutenant General David Kipkemboi Ketter as the new Commander of the Kenya Army in a significant reshuffle within the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). This follows a Defence Council meeting chaired by Defence Cabinet Secretary Roselinda Soipan Tuya earlier this week.
Lt Gen Ketter, previously the Assistant Chief of Defence Forces in charge of Personnel and Logistics, replaces Lt Gen David Kimaiyo Chemwaina Tarus, who has been redeployed as the Vice Chancellor of the National Defence University – Kenya (NDU-K). This strategic appointment positions Ketter a step closer to succeeding General Charles Kahariri as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), especially with the Tonje Rules dictating a rotational leadership among the Army, Navy, and Air Force. Gen Kahariri hails from the Navy and is expected to serve at least two more years.
In further changes, Major General Benard Waliaula was appointed Commander of the Kenya Air Force, replacing Major General Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed, who retired after an impressive 42 years of service. Waliaula previously served as the Director of Defence National Security Industries.
The President also promoted Brigadier Joel Muriungi M’arimi to Major General and appointed him as Commandant of the Kenya Military Academy. Brigadier Joyce Chelang’at Sitienei was elevated to Major General and appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor, Centre for Strategic and Security Studies at NDU-K.
Other key promotions include Brigadier Faustino Mancha Lobaly, Brigadier Charles Lenjo Mwazighe, Brigadier Mohamed Isak Iddi, and Brigadier Edward Rugendo—all elevated to Major General and assigned to top leadership roles in defence industry, peace support, oversight, and logistics.
Several Colonels were also promoted to Brigadier, including Meshack Sinkira Kishoyian (Commander 6 Brigade), Ronald Mesa Makori (Chief of Strategic Plans), and Victor Waithaka Kang’ethe (Director, National Air Support Department), among others.
These changes underscore President Ruto’s efforts to inject fresh leadership into the military while upholding the Tonje Rules for succession planning. The KDF Act mandates that a CDF, his deputy, and service commanders serve a single four-year term or retire upon reaching the mandatory age, ensuring a structured and disciplined leadership transition within the armed forces.
