Roll of honour: From Maj-Gen Gichuru, the first African Commander of the Kenya Air Force, to Maj-Gen Fatuma Ahmed, it’s been 60 years of courage and valor
Maj-Gen Dedan Gichuru:
1973-1980 Born in Dagoretti, Nairobi, he joined the Air Force as a flight cadet in February 1963 and earned his commission in February 1965.
He was Kenya’s first indigenous commander of the Air Force who served from April 17, 1973 to June 26, 1980.
He again led KAF between February 27, 1986 and May 9, 1989. Col Gichuru was among the team of first five indigenous Kenyans who were trained in Israel and Britain before Kenya. They were to later form the core KAF team.
Between 1970 and 1973, Col Gichuru had risen from Commander of Flying Wing to Deputy Station Commander and then Station Commander, Eastleigh.
In the same year, President Jomo Kenyatta made him the Air Force Commander, taking over from the last British commander, Group Captain D J Edwards. Col Gichuru is the one who flew Jomo Kenyatta’s body from Mombasa to Nairobi on August 22, 1978.
1980-1982 He was the second Indigenous KAF comm a n d e r w h o served between June 27, 1980 to August 11, 1982 when his juniors organised the infamous August 11, 1982 attempted coup.
Maj Gen Peter Kariuki 1980 1982.
Photo credit: Pool
He graduated as a pilot in the KAF Flying School Course Number 3 of 1965 and played a crucial role in the establishment of Laikipia Air Base, the fighter wing of the Air Force.
He served as KAF Commander for two years and 45 days. He served a four-year jail term for failing to prevent the coup, shattering his 19-year exemplary career.
Maj-Gen Mahmoud Mohammed:
1982-1989 He served as Kenya Air Force Commander for three years and 313 days after the failed coup. Previously a Deputy Army Commander between 1979 and 1981, Gen Mahmoud.
Maj Gen Mahmoud Mohammed 1982-1986
Photo credit: Pool
He Joined the colonial army in 1953 and rose though ranks to Commanding Officer 1st Battalion Kenya Rifles (1KR) established in 1964 before becoming the deputy Army Commander when he and other quelled the attempted August 1982 coup.
For his bravery, he climbed ranks to be Deputy Army Commander.He was then appointed Air Force Commander and later Chief of General Staff in 1986 by President Daniel arap Moi. Maj-Gen
Maj Gen Dancun Wachira 1989-1994.
Photo credit: Pool
Born in 1945 in Mahiga location, Othaya, Nyeri, Maj-Gen Wachira initiated the crea- tion of the Air Force Qualified Flying Instructors after he got concerned about the expense incurred to fly trainee pilots out of the country for trainings.
A trained pilot himself, he took over from a Kenya Army man, Gen Mahmoud, who had briefly taken over after the coup.
1994-2000. He served as KAF Commander for six years, 164 days but the events of August 1, 1982 would forever remain etched in his mind.
He joined the Air Force in 1971 and rose to become Base Commander, Moi Air Base, Commander KAF and later Vice Chief of Defence Forces. It is during his stint at KAF leadership that the VIP Fleet was introduced.
Maj Gen Nick Leshan 1994-2000.
Photo credit: Pool
Maj-Gen Leshan, who was the Air Transport Major at the time, was abducted and commandeered by the coup plotters Hezekiah Ochuka to fly a Buffalo aircraft to Tanzania where they sought asylum after their attempt was thwarted.
Described as one of the finest pilots in the country, MajGen Leshan was among the first Air Force pilots who flew newly acquired aircraft from Canada to Kenya.
He was among pilots who were on standby for a bombing mission if Uganda had invaded Kenya. He served for 35 years.
Maj-Gen Simon Kiplimo Muttai:
2000-2003 He served for two years and 360 days as KAF Commander. Maj-Gen Muttai enlisted in the military in 1973 and trained as a pilot in the Unit- ed Kingdom before being commissioned as an officer in 1974 as a Squadron pilot and later Flight Commander, Nanyuki.
He was a Chief Flight Instructor and then Commanding Officer in 1982, during which time he trained many Kenyan pilots.
Maj Gen Simon Mutai 2000-2003.
Photo credit: Pool
He is credited with introducing innovation and safety to KAF. Born in Ndurio village, Aldai, Nandi County in June 1952, Muttai studied at Tambach Secondary and later ShimoLa Tewa High School before being enlisted in the military where he rose through ranks to one time become the KAF Commander.
2003-2005 He served as Kenya Air Force Commander for one year, 255 days. He joined the military in 1973 and trained as a cadet in the United Kingdom, before being commissioned in 1974.
He became a Qualified Flight navigator in October 1975 and was assigned to the Kenya Air Force’s Flying Wing. In 1995, he was the Commander, Moi Air Base, and later Commander, Kenya Defence Forces Logistics Command.
Maj Gen Julius Karangi 2003-2005.
Photo credit: Pool
In 1998, he became the Chief of Procurement at Kenya Defence Forces. Karangi served as Head of Training, Doctrine and Procurement in the Office of Chief of Defence Forces.
He was Commandant, Defence Staff College in 2000, before becoming the Kenya Air Force Commander in 2003. In 2005, he was appointed Vice Chief of Defence Forces and in 2011, he became the Chief of General Staff.
Maj-Gen Harold Mwakio Tangai:
2005-2011 He enlisted in the military in 1979 and served as the Kenya Air Force Commander for five years and 11 months between August 10, 2005 and July 12, 2001.
Born in 1956, Tangai was once the Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Mission in Prevlaka (former Yugoslavia).
He also earlier headed the Kenya Ordinance Factory. Maj-Gen Joff Otieno: 2011-2014 He served as the Kenya Air Force Commander for three years and 17 days.
The electrical and aeronautical engineer played a pivotal role during the KDF incursion into Somalia in pursuit of Al-Shabaab terrorists.
He once served as Commandant, Defence Staff College and National Defence College. Maj-Gen Otieno also once served as Director of Logistics at the Kenya Air Force Headquarters before his elevation to head the service.
Maj-Gen Samuel Nganga Thuita:
2014-2018 He served as the Kenya Air Force commander for three years eleven months and seventeen days before retirement between July 31, 2014 and July 13, 2018.
He enlisted in Kenya Air Force in May 1978 and trained at the Kenya Military Academy where he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in March 1979.
Major-General Samuel Ng’ang’a
Photo credit: Pool
He later trained in United Kingdom and United States qualifying as an Air Defence Officer and certified instructor in both operations and technical maintenance of Radar Controlled Missile Systems.
A graduate of both Defence Staff College and National Defence College, Maj-Gen Thuita was the Commanding Officer, Air Defence Control Unit (ADCU), Commandant, Defence Headquarters Camp Admin Unit (CAU) and Base Commander, Moi Air Base.
He also previously worked as Staff Officer Personnel, Logistics, Training and Operations at KAF headquarters and Defence Headquarters.
He was also Chief of Strategic Plans and Policy, Chief of Logistics and Assistant Chief of Defence Forces Personnel and Logistics (ACDF P&L) at Defence Headquarters.
Maj-Gen Francis Omondi Ogolla:
2018-2021 He served as Kenya Air Force Commander for three years and eight days between July 14, 2018 and July 22, 2021, before being promoted and appointed Vice Chief of Defence Forces.
He joined the military in 1984 and began as a 2nd Lieutenant in KAF. He trained as a pilot with the United States Air Force. He trained and graduated at Ecole Militaire de Paris, National Defence College.
The late General Francis Ogolla, who was Kenya's Chief of Defence Forces.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
He also graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Armed Conflict and Peace Studies, a Master of Arts in International Studies at University of Nairobi.
He acted as a United Nations Mission Observer and a Military Information Officer in the former Yugoslavia.
He climbed through the ranks and was Laikipia Air Base Commander before becoming KAF Commander in 2018.
He was later appointed Chief of Defence Forces by President William Ruto before his unfortunate demise in a helicopter crash on April 18, 2024.
2021-2024 He joined the military in May 1991 as a 2nd Lieutenant and was commissioned in August 1992.
He trained as a fighter pilot, specialising in intelligence, security and flight safety.
A graduate of the Defence Staff College and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom, Maj-Gen Omenda rose through the ranks as he continued studying, including acquiring a Diploma in Strategic Studies from the University of Nairobi.
He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and appointed Base Commander Laikipia Air Base in July 2018. In 2020, he was appointed Deputy Air Force Commander.
