This archive report was first published on 8 May 2020.
On May 8, 2020, General Samson Mwathethe officially retired as the Chief of Defence Forces, marking the end of a 40-year military career.
At an elaborate ceremony at the Department of Defence Headquarters, Mwathethe handed over the KDF flag to his successor, General Robert Kibochi, and signed the change of command certificate.
As he bid farewell to the Defence Forces, Mwathethe expressed his gratitude for the support he received during his tenure, saying, “As I bid you farewell, I am confident that I leave behind warriors who are well disciplined, professional, battle tested, well trained and well equipped.”
During the Change of Command, Mwathethe launched KDF’s new book titled War for Peace, an in-depth analysis of the Kenya’s Military in the African Mission in Somalia in the last 9 years.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Monica Juma praised Mwathethe as a visionary leader whose attributes and contribution to the Ministry of Defence will continue to manifest in various areas.
General Kibochi is set to be sworn in as the new Chief of Defence Forces on May 11, 2020, at State House.
