He is very close to the Chief of Defence Forces position yet too far from it. Depending with President William Ruto’s next move, Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lieutenant General Charles Kahariri may succeed the late General Francis Ogolla or not.
As the highest ranking military officer in the country today, Lt General Kahariri is in a pole position to succeed Ogolla. This is if the much revered Tonje Rules are observed.
But for Lt General Kahariri, the latest development in the General Ogolla succession could see his hopes of succeeding the former CDF who died in a tragic helicopter crash, go up in smokes.
First, Lt General Kahariri has never been a service commander. This means, he has never led the Kenya Navy where he is an officer.
In the history of the Kenya Defence Forces, all past CDFs had been unit commanders at one point.
Lt General Kahariri served as the Deputy Director of Military Intelligence and later Senior Directing Staff, Navy at the National Defence College.
Besides that, there is a feeling among Kenya Air Force officers that their term never ended as General Ogolla served for less than one year before the tragic end of his life.
Going forward, with all eyes on President Ruto to appoint the next CDF, will Lt General Kahariri defy all odds to succeed General Ogolla? Or will things fail to work in her favour? Well, only time will tell.