General Francis Ogolla: I stopped playing golf after Ruto appointment

In his first interview since his appointment in April, the Chief of Defence Forces, General Francis Ogolla, has outlined his vision for the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and some of the sacrifices he will have to make to achieve it.

Speaking exclusively to Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, Gen. Ogolla said he aims to build a solid force with a common mission under the mantra "One force One mission".

He said he had spent his first 100 days in office laying the foundation for this vision by engaging the entire military in its areas of operation at home and abroad.

"In the last 100 days, I have been able to elaborate on my vision which I crystallised with the phrase 'One Force One Mission' to bring everyone together to understand what our role is and to focus on the one mission we have to defend the sovereignty of the Republic of Kenya," he said.

Without going into details, the military chief said the vision is also largely anchored on making the KDF globally respected.

In the brief interview, the General revealed that some of the pleasures he has had to drop since his appointment include playing golf.

"I love to read and I used to love to play golf but the moment I was appointed Chief of Defence Forces, I more or less put my golf side aside and I said let me concentrate on this job wholeheartedly," he revealed.
As part of his fitness routine, the decorated fighter pilot has now added a morning run with soldiers twice a week "just to keep fit".

Sometimes, however, he says he enjoys time alone to reflect.
"I like to be alone sometimes to think. If I can get two or three hours a day to be by myself, I like that. I enjoy it," he said.

On the upcoming KDF recruitment, he called on Kenyans interested in joining the military to turn up in large numbers and resist the temptation to bribe anyone to get a slot, as he promised a fair recruitment process for all.

"We have a database of the entire country and this data informs the numbers we take from each place. We are mandated by the constitution to have the face of Kenya and I can tell you that in every recruitment centre when we take you through the whole process, we have the face of Kenya," he said.

On security along the border, the General assured Kenyans that the military was on guard.

"Kenya is secure along its borders because of us in KDF, we will be judged on the effectiveness of how we do our duty and at the moment by and large other than some minor incursions that are reported here and there, we are secure and even those incursions, they are not just happening, we are dealing with them," he said.

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