- He had taken over from General Kibochi, under whom he had served as Vice chief of defence forces starting 2018.
- He rose through the ranks to become a Major General and was appointed the Commander Kenya Air Force on July 15, 2018, a post he has served for three years.
KDF Chief Francis Omondi Ogolla believed that his characteristic vision of “one force, one mission” would be realised by empowering the individual soldier by responding to and meeting their basic personal needs.
When he got appointed into office a year ago, he set his mind on his legacy, always aware that a day will come when he will exit.
“When I leave, let Kenyans judge me. My vision is to leave a force that is respected the world over and is able to deliver in its mission whenever and wherever,” he said in an interview marking his first 100 days in office.
Ogolla started his duty as CDF by touring the troops in their various stations and where they are deployed in and out of the country, explaining that he wanted to understand the real situation of the servicemen and let them appreciate his vision for the force.
“I wanted every soldier to understand my vision aiming to bring everybody together in delivering on the mission to defend the sovereignty of the country.”
A military intelligence officer once told this writer that when Ogolla travelled to Somalia to familiarise with the troops stationed there under Atmis, he had a lengthy listening session with the soldiers, letting them go off record and express their real view of the military.
“Soldiers let lose, expressing their feelings about the military. Some complained about their salaries, others talked about food rations, others complained about the length of time they take on tour of duty away from their families, among others,” he said.
All the while, Ogolla took notes.
When the CDF rose to respond to the issues, he gave specific attention to the welfare issue of the soldiers, promising to take action immediately where he can.
“He ordered increased food supply to the troops and ensured supply of beef and other accompaniments.”
Ogolla made it clear to his top leadership team that taking care of the basic needs of the soldiers is the solid point of holding the force together and making KDF effective.
“When you are in command as I am, one of the key things that will concern you is the welfare of your men. If you do not have interest in the welfare of your men, it will be noticed and it will undermine their morale and their ability to embrace the force and have the fighting spirit,” Ogolla said during the interview.
Ogolla’s approach was taking genuine concerns of the soldiers seriously, ensuring that all are trained to adequate standards and putting them on the right footing to perform.
“[For your men to work well, you must ensure they are] well housed, their families well taken care of, their healthcare solid and catered for, and education for their children well covered so that when he is in the field, he knows that somebody genuinely cares and is thinking of me,” he said.
“This [welfare issue] is the top most thing that pre-occupies my mind every day.”
So dedicated to deliver on his duty was he that when he took over the command from Robert Kibochi, he said he put his golfing activities aside to concentrate on his new role.
He said despite being passionate about golf, he felt it was time for him to now focus on being the chief of defence forces.
"I used to love golf but the day I was appointed the Chief of Defence Forces, I had to put my golf club duties aside and decided to focus on the job wholeheartedly," he said.
The CDF said the aim was to channel all his energy into delivering for the country. In order to keep fit, he said he engages in running with the military soldiers but values his time when alone.
"When I get 2, 3 hours a day to be by myself, to reflect, I appreciate that so much," he said.
Ogolla was trained in France and United States in specialised military technique and air warfare. Gen Ogolla is a graduate of ÉcoleMilitaire de Paris and US airforce, as well as the National Defence College of Kenya.
He holds a Diploma in International Studies and Military Science from Egerton University, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Armed Conflict and Peace Studies (First Class Honours) and Masters of Arts in International Studies from the University of Nairobi.
He had taken over from General Kibochi, under whom he had served as Vice chief of defence forces starting 2018.
He rose through the ranks to become a Major General and was appointed the Commander Kenya Air Force on July 15, 2018, a post he has served for three years.
When he appointed Ogolla, President William Ruto hailed his competence and diverse experience, saying that “while I had over 10 choices on who to appoint as CDF, I settled on Ogolla consciously because of his track record and rich experience.”
He said his appointment of Ogolla shows that he values merit over the tribe.
"I appointed General Ogolla. He was among the people who went to Bomas to try to overturn my victory," he said during an interview at State House.
"But when I looked at his CV, he was the best person to be general."
Ruto said he sat down with Ogolla and reminded him how he had gone to Bomas to try to overturn his victory.
"I had 10 choices, I could have appointed anybody, I decided against the advice of many people, they told me you should not reward this kind of behaviour," he said.