President William Ruto has revealed that General Francis Ogolla’s name was not among the options presented to him during the consideration of the next Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) to succeed retired General Robert Kibochi.

Speaking during the late General’s memorial service, the president noted that even though General Francis Ogolla was a decorated military officer, he was still reluctant due to the events that transpired on the 15th of August 2022 at the Bomas of Kenya.

“Let me say this about General Ogolla, all the recommendations that I got on the next CDF and all the advice that I got about the next CDF did not include the name of the General Ogolla unfortunately.”

“But he was a military officer with a distinguished career, there was only one problem… the events of the 15th of August at the Bomas of Kenya.” said the president.

The event the president was referring to was when General Francis Ogolla was implicated in the Bomas of Kenya drama that ensued during the tallying of the 2022 presidential election results.

General Ogolla’s meeting with Ruto

Going on with his recollection, the president further revealed how he asked the late General for a one-on-one meeting which he described as a “man-to-man meeting” and a “come to Jesus” meeting.

When the alleged meeting ended, the President said that the General presented him with a plea of forgiveness.

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“General Ogolla told me the following, Mr. President, I have no defense, I will not try to defend myself, what happened was wrong,” he stated.

“You have three choices You can either send me to court-martial, have me retire, or forgive me,” said Ruto while reminiscing.

Following the General’s heartfelt plea, the president said that he carried out a deep introspection, thinking back to his own story and the challenges he faced during his time at the Hague.

Ruto is warned of Sensitive positions

The Head of State went on to talk about intel briefing he had received when assuming office noting the four sensitive positions that were crucial during making appointments.

Thes positions include the office of the Police Inspector General, Interior Cabinet Secretary, National Intelligence Service Director General and that of the Chief of Defense Forces.

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“I had been told to be careful who I appoint into those offices because they mean a lot and they are sensitive,” he added. 

“I was told not to be shy about appointing people from my community as it was safer, but we were taking a different trajectory as a country, where merit, professionality and competence must come before ethnicity,” he stated.

According to the President that was when he made up his mind regarding General Francis Ogolla’s appointment as CDF.

Speaking when he visited General Ogolla’s family at his Nairobi home, Ruto mentioned that Ogolla’s appointment was one of the appointments he held in high esteem, describing the late General as a dedicated military man and professional.