Yesterday, Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla made a major gaffe during a military ceremony, forcing him to apologize to President William Ruto.
This follows his failure to recognize Ruto’s wife, Rachel, at the Kenya Defence Forces Day celebrations in Embakasi, Nairobi.
Ogolla acknowledged to making a mistake in his salutation and asked to change it at the end of his speech.
Previously, he only acknowledged the Cabinet Secretary for Defence, Aden Duale, and his colleagues, as well as the Senate Speaker, Amason Kingi.
“Before I invite your Excellency, I’d like to apologize.” While going through the salutations, I realized I had missed Her Excellency, the First Lady.
“I apologise to you, your excellency,” KDF chief Francis Ogolla said as he saluted the President.
In his remarks, the KDF chief praised the soldiers for their unwavering efforts to keep the country peaceful.
“Our celebration of KDF Day is not a new custom. It is deeply ingrained in our collective memory. “The seeds of this commemoration were sown in October 2011 when our soldiers launched Operation Linda Nchi,” he explained.
“In the phase of daunting challenges, recognising the importance of their sacrifice and to engrave the monumental operation into the annals of our history.”
Ruto echoed his thoughts, praising the KDF for their patriotism, togetherness, tenacity, and resilience in the face of adversity. The president, on the other hand, stayed away from the KDF chief’s error and apology.
