Why Ruto's appointment of General Ogolla is another masterstroke

President William Ruto and Francis Ogolla, the new Chief of Defence Forces, during a military investiture ceremony at State House. [PSCU] Last week, President William Ruto promoted Francis Ogolla to the rank of General and at the same time, appointed him Chief of Defence Forces (CDF). He replaces General Robert Kibochi who has retired following a long military career culminating at the apex of the armed forces. Ruto's decision to appoint Ogolla sends out four subliminal messages that affirm the president as master of the political game. For starters, it depicts Ruto as a man willing to let bygones be bygones. Following last year's presidential elections, Ogolla was allegedly among members of the National Security Advisory Committee who had cautioned Kenya's electoral body against declaring Ruto as the president-elect saying, "the country is going to burn." In appointing Ogolla, Ruto has put behind him any semblance of a grudge and won the hearts of those who always perceived him as vengeful. Second, Ruto de-fangs archrival Raila Odinga by making nonsense of his rallying cry among the rank and file to the effect that the Luo nation has been excluded from the country's top leadership. How, when one of its sons is head of one of Kenya's most powerful institutions and another, a Cabinet Secretary in Ruto's government? Whatever tension the community has had should dissipate in the coming days with the prospects of greater involvement in matters of the national government. Third, Ogolla's appointment follows the promotion architecture of the military based on the famous Tonje rules. In these rules, the position of CDF rotates among the nation"s three military services; the army, navy and air force. That Ruto has upheld the Tonje rules is a departure from his predecessors who bent the same to retain at the helm of the military people that they trusted. The president therefore comes across as more concerned by meritocracy than parochial considerations. And General Ogolla is deserving. He is a graduate of Ecole Militaire de Paris and the National Defence College. He holds Diplomas in International Studies and Military Science from Egerton University. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Armed Conflict and Peace Studies and a Masters of Arts in International studies. Last, the General's appointment shows clear lines of separation between the military and the government. Each has its work and function cut out without interference by the other. This sends a reassuring message to the international community that Kenya, despites her fractious politics, will never go the way of Sudan or others in the region where the military has forcibly taken over leadership. Further, it repudiates the notion that all African States are banana republics with the military waiting in the wings to depose duly elected presidents. Kenya's military is one of the most professional in the world. That it has been called to augment peace-keeping forces across the world attests to this professionalism. Investors, tourists and other visitors to the country can rest secure in the knowledge that the Kenyan military will only be called upon to defend the country from external attack and any other aggression, and these, only as sanctioned by the country's laws and Parliament. Perhaps President Ruto's latest appointments now mark the shift from electioneering to governance. Hitherto, appointments to public office have tended to favour those who supported his presidential bid. And it is only natural that pre-election pacts be upheld by rewarding loyalty up to an extent. It is now time to govern. The country expects those in public offices to meet the dictates of their jobs. There is no such thing as a free lunch especially given the country's current parlous economic straits. Appointees must meet key deliverables or ship out. And to win public confidence, the President should be extremely ruthless when dealing with grand corruption. He should allow institutions like the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the Judiciary to operate with a free hand; to arrest and prosecute all offenders regardless of their closeness to the presidency itself! -The writer is a public policy analyst

Why Ruto's appointment of General Ogolla is another masterstroke

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