Kenya appoints first female air force commander

Kenya’s President William Ruto named Major General Fatuma Ahmed as commander of the air force on Thursday, making her the first woman to lead a military branch in the African nation.

The announcement follows a helicopter crash last month which claimed the lives of the chief of defense forces, General Francis Ogolla, and nine other officers. The new appointees also include General Charles Muriu Kahariri, who now leads the military.

“The appointment of Major General Fatuma Gaiti goes down in history as the first to have ever been made, as she becomes the first woman to be at the helm of any service in the Armed Forces,” a press release by Kenya’s ministry of gender, culture, the arts and heritage said.

“This is a big win for Kenyan women and a major motivation for young women and girls aiming for similar positions,” the ministry added.

In 1983, Fatuma Ahmed started her military career by joining the Women Service Corps, which operated separately to the other branches of the military, concentrating on support roles such as administration, logistics, medical care, and communication. The unit was dissolved in 1999, leading to the integration of women into the navy, air force and army.

In 2018, on her promotion to the rank of major general, then-president Uhuru Kenyatta stated that he hoped she serve as “a positive role model,” urging her to “prove to them that there are no limits for women.”

In 2023, President William Ruto appointed Maj Gen Ahmed as senior director of the air staff.

Appointments of women to senior military roles remain highly unusual in Africa. Last September in Gabon, General Brigitte Onganoa made history by becoming the first woman to hold the position of defense minister.

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