Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has defended General Francis Ogolla’s controversial presence at the Bomas Tallying Centre during the 2022 General Elections.
Duale’s defense comes amidst a storm of speculation and accusations surrounding the late CDF Ogolla’s role in the event, particularly regarding allegations of attempting to interfere with 2022 election results.
The Defence CS said he saw a series of text messages purportedly exchanged between the General and his superiors within the National Security Council.
According to Duale, these messages indicate that General Ogolla was not acting independently but was following orders from senior officials.
The text messages allegedly show General Ogolla seeking clarification about his attendance at Bomas, questioning the purpose behind it, only to be informed that his presence had been decided for him.
“General Ogolla was very close to me, particularly when he was Vice Chief of Defense Forces, he shared with me text messages from his superiors directing him to go to Bomas,” stated Duale.
However, he was allegedly instructed that his attendance had been decided for him by senior members of the National Security Council.
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Duale on CDF Ogolla Role at Bomas
Duale in his speech further denied any suggestion that General Ogolla had attended the Bomas meeting with the intention of influencing or overturning election results.
Instead, he stated that General Ogolla was merely following orders from his superiors.
“Because of what happened to Gen Ogolla, the president has directed that members of the national security can never again delegate their attendance at that level to their juniors,” Duale went on to reveal.
In a surprising admission, Duale acknowledged that there were individuals within their ranks and some who were seated within the congregation who opposed General Ogolla’s appointment, primarily citing concerns related to events surrounding August 15th, 2022.
However, he stressed that these concerns were outweighed by General Ogolla’s credentials and dedication to duty.
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“Allow me to make another confession. There are so many people even in our ranks who said Gen Ogolla should not be appointed. But they had only one reason, very unfortunate, the reason of 15th August. They forgot all the other credentials of Gen Ogolla,” said Duale.
Duale also recounted instances where General Ogolla had demonstrated his commitment to service, including sacrificing personal time to visit troops engaged in deep operations, even during holidays like Christmas and New Year.
Furthermore, Duale also pointed out President William Ruto’s endorsement of General Ogolla’s appointment as Chief of the Defence Forces as based on merit and a departure from tribal considerations.
