Ruto criticised for accusing new KDF boss Ogolla of attempt to overturn his presidential win

Alego Usonga Member of Parliament Sam Atandi has criticised President William Ruto over his comments that he appointed General Francis Ogolla as the new Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) despite alleged attempts to overturn his presidential win in last year's General Election.

In a televised joint interview with media houses on Sunday night, Ruto claimed he had been advised not to appoint Ogolla over concerns he was among a team that attempted to overturn his presidential victory in August 2022.

"General Ogolla is among the people who went to Bomas to try and overturn my victory but because when I looked at his CV, he was the best person to be General. Many things that are part of my system overweighed what he had done," he told journalists at State House, Nairobi.  

"I could have appointed anybody I had I think 10 choices, people say that I appointed Ogolla because he was the deputy CDF, but that is not the case. I made the decision consciously and I made it against the advice of many people."

Now, Atandi is faulting the Head of State for linking Ogola to the standoff witnessed before the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared the president-elect at the national tallying centre at the Bomas of Kenya. 

“To discuss the issue of Bomas and link them to General Ogolla, I think that is an error where President Ruto has lost it a bit… This whole issue of Bomas, whether it happened or didn’t happen, we need to move away from it,” Atandi said on Monday.

In the MP’s view, the president tarnished the reputation of General Ogolla by saying that and also cast doubts on his fitness to hold office.

“Ogola is competently in office and the fact that he was made chief of the defence forces is something that we celebrate. The president should not continue to make such utterances that spoil Ogolla’s reputation,” the legislator noted on Citizen TV's Day Break show.

He added; “When you say that there are many people that could have been appointed, you are not giving him the stature that he deserves. He will sit in an office and his juniors will look at him like he is not the best.”

General Ogolla was sworn in on April 29, replacing General Robert Kariuki Kibochi whose tenure lapsed.