Technically, there are four men in contention for the Chief of Defence Forces position when the reign of General Francis Omondi Ogolla comes to an end.
With the leadership of KDF being rotational amongst the three units, the next military chief will be from the Kenya Navy. General Ogolla is from Kenya Air Force. His predecessor, General Robert Kibochi was from the Kenya Army.
In the Navy, there are only four Major Generals. All of them have realistic chance of taking over the command of the military when General Ogolla calls it a day. They include Kenya Navy Commander Major General Jimson Mutai, National Defence University-Kenya Vice Chancellor Major General Said Mohamed Farah, Senior Directing Staff, Air at the National Defence College Major General Charles Kahariri and Kenya Shipyards Limited Director General Major General Paul Owuor Otieno.
But what are the chances of Major General Kahariri getting the nod to lead the military from the Commander-in-chief President William Ruto?
At the National Defence College, Major General Kahariri is a very senior ranking member. As the Senior Directing Staff, Navy, he is the face of the naval forces in the college.
Besides that, he is the deputy Commandant of the college. His boss, Major General Rashid Elmi is from the Kenya Air Force. He had previously served as Commandant, Kenya Navy Fleet.
In a military career spanning over three decades, he is senior enough to be entrusted with the powerful KDF chief position.
But at the end of the day, it is the National Defence Council that will have a final say in determining if Major General Charles Kahariri will succeed General Ogolla as KDF chief.