Major General Fatuma Ahmed has made history yet again, becoming Kenya’s first female Airforce Commander. This fearless soldier has worked from ground up, and her journey has been nothing short of marveling.
Her name first made it to the headlines back in August 2015 when she was promoted to Brigadier, a position that no woman had ever held in the mostly male dominated Kenyan military.
General Fatuma developed interest in the military from watching his late uncle, who had adopted her. She watched her uncle in awe and admired the values he held as a military man.
However, when she finally made the decision to join the military, her family members discouraged her and attempted to bar her from enlisting. She ignored them and followed her dreams.
“I was adopted by my uncle who was also in the military, and he was a staunch Muslim and had attributes that I admired including discipline, hard work and he started shaping my life from a very early age.
“Some of my family members discouraged me from joining the forces saying that it was not a profession for women, but I was determined to make a difference in my life,” she said in a past interview.
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General Fatuma Rise Through the Ranks
General Fatuma enlisted in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in 1983, serving under the women service core. In 2000, women were integrated into the other three major services, paving way for her to rise through the ranks.
She is a graduate of the National Defence College and the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies.
In 2015, General Fatma was promoted to the rank of a colonel, at the time still the highest ranking female military operative with the title of brigadier.
Later, in August 2018, former President Uhuru Kenyatta made history by appointing her to the position of Major General in the Kenya Defence Forces.
In addition. she was appointed the Assistant Chief of the Defence Forces in charge of Personnel and Logistics.
The former President was proud of the General, asking her to be a positive role model to other women, proving that there were no limits.
“It’s my pride and joy today to launch the first Kenyan woman as a major general in the Republic of Kenya, I’m looking at you and counting on you to be a positive role model to other women and to prove to them that there are no limits,” said Uhuru.
General Fatuma has done exactly that.
In May 2023, President William Ruto promoted her to Senior Directing Staff Air and posted her to the National Defence College.
And now, she makes history yet again, becoming Kenya’s first female Air force commander.
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Family, Work and Advise for Other Women
On the other hand, the general said in a past interview that it was easy for her to juggle being a mother and a wife with her job. For her, having a family was one of her biggest achievements.
“It is easy like A B C D; I make sure that I give attention to every aspect of my life. Going back to the kitchen even though I have a house manager. I couch her and bring her up to my standards,” she said.
Also, she advised the future generation of women to make good of any opportunity they get by being their best in any role.
“The next generation of women have to grasp any opportunity that comes to them and make good of that opportunity by going the extra mile by being responsible, being discipline knowing that one can transform one’s life into anything they want to be,” explained General Fatuma.
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