BIO PHOTOS TRIBUTES

GENERAL FRANCIS OMONDI OGOLLA

EGH EBS HSC ‘ndc’ (K) ‘psc’ (FRA)


On 28 April 2023, His Excellency Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, pursuant to Section 9 (2), (a) of the Kenya Defence Forces Act, promoted Lieutenant General Francis Omondi Ogolla to the rank of General and appointed him Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF). Subsequently General Francis Ogolla swearing in ceremony and investiture of ranks was held on Saturday 29th April 2023 at State House, Nairobi.

Prior to this appointment General Francis Omondi Ogolla was the Vice Chief of the Defence Forces. Gen Francis Omondi Ogolla joined the Kenya Defence Forces on 24 April 1984 and was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant on 6 May 1985 and posted to Kenya Air Force. He trained as a fighter pilot with USAF and as an instructor pilot at the Kenya Air Force (KAF).

He also trained in other fields including imagery intelligence, counter terrorism and accident investigation.

Gen Francis O Ogolla is a graduate of ÉcoleMilitaire de Paris and National Defence College of Kenya. He holds Diploma both in International Studies and Military Science from Egerton University, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Armed Conflict and Peace Studies (First Class Honors) and Masters of Arts in International Studies from the University of Nairobi.

He rose through ranks to become a Major General and appointed the Commander Kenya Air Force on 15 July 2018 a post he has served for three years. Previously he has held various appointments in Training, Command and Staff including Deputy Commander Kenya Air Force, Base Commander Laikipia Air Base, Commanding Officer of Tactical Fighter Wing, Chief Flying Instructor at Kenya Air Force Flying Training School and Operations Desk Officer at Kenya Air Force Headquarters.

He also served in the former Yugoslavia as an Observer and Military Information Officer from 1992 to 1993, as chairman of Military Christian Fellowship from 1994 to 2004 and co-Chair of Association of African Air Chiefs between 2018-2019.

Due to his dedication to service the late General Francis Omondi Ogolla was awarded several medals among them: Elder of the Golden Heart, Elder of the Burning Spear and Head of State Commendation. Recently he was also appointed as the Chairperson on the development of Kenya home of human origins museum and science park in the Lake Turkana Basin steering committee

General Francis Omondi Ogolla leaves behind a widow, Mrs. Aileen Kathambi Ogolla and two children; Lorna Achieng’ Omondi and Joel Rabuku Omondi Ogolla. He also leaves behind one daughter-in-law; Muthoni Njenga Mwaura and a grandson by the name Taji Mbagara.

General's

Career

  • Chief Of Defence Forces (CDF)

    29th April 2023

    Sworn in as the CDF

  • General

    28th April 2023

    Promoted to General

  • Lt General

    2021

    Promoted to Lt General and appointed Vice Chief Of Defence Forces

  • Major General

    2018

    Promoted to Major General and commander Kenya Air Force

  • Deputy Commander

    Kenya Air Force

  • Base Commander

    Laikipia Air Base

  • Commanding Officer

    Tactical Fighter Wing

  • Base Commander

    Laikipia Air Base

  • Chief Flying Instructor

    Kenya Air Force Flying Training School

  • Operations Desk Officer

    Kenya Airforce HQ

  • 2nd Lieutenant Officer

    6th May 1985

    Posted to Kenya Air Force

  • Joined Kenya Air Force

    24th April 1984

General's

Education

  • MA Arts In International Studies

    University Of Nairobi (UON)

  • BA Arts In Political Science Armed Conflict & Peace Studies

    University Of Nairobi ( UON )

  • Diploma In International Studies & Military Science

    Egerton University

General's

Training

  • Fighter Pilot

    With US AIR FORCE (USAF)

  • Instructor Pilot

    Kenya Air Force (KAF)

  • Graduate

    Ecole MILLITAIRE DE PARIS

  • Graduate

    National Defence College Kenya

  • Image Intelligence

    Counter terrorism and accident Investigations

General's

Other Positions

  • Chair Of Military Christian Fellowship

    1994 - 2004

  • Co-Chair Association Of African Air Chiefs

General's

International Assignment

  • Observer

    1992-1993

    Military information Officer in the former Yugoslavia

General's through

Memories

General's

Tributes

Please share a personal story, experience or encounter you may have had with the General. You may also reach out to the family if you have any pictures you would like to share with them
Albert
Continue resting in peace General. I think of you everyday
S C Mwangi, KT alumni
General Ogola sir, your wisdom and leadership shaped my and other people's lives profoundly.Your guidance will forever inspire me.May you continue resting in peace, mentor and hero.
Brian O. KEPHER
TRIBUTE TO GEN. OGOLLA, CHIEF OF DEFENCE FORCE - KENYA DEFENCE FORCES. You served both the Republic and the International System with Honour, Integrity and Innovation when it came matters Peace and Security. You became a symbol of measure thus a societal mirror when it came to relation between workers and their boss, family time and work time, power and humanity. How you balanced all that shall for sure remain to be a faculty more so to us Kenyans. Although many aren't really informed of our Men in Uniform's tradition and concert, you kept the image of our soldiers clear that hope is relative and symphonic in its essence. The Republic loved you but you loved us so much that you gave your life to see the citizens safe in every corner of our motherland! May God be Merciful to you and reward your good acts and desires. Let Him forget your errors and elevate your soul to Eternal Peace. Thank You Sir for your Service and we shall forget not your sacrifice and dreams for the Kenya Defence Forces and the Republic at large. To Your Family and Loved Ones, thank you so much the Ogollas for offering your own for the safety of the Majority! REQUIEM AETERNAM DONA EIS, DOMINE !
gabriel lenana loturoomom
continue resting in peace sir. from Kenyatta trust
Mwende Mbevi
CDF Ogolla, what a humble man you are. I will remember you for your legacy at The Kenyatta Trust and for always having an ear when we had any questions regarding mentorship and coaching. You have transformed youth and a lot of gratitude as you demonstrated what servant leadership truly is. You live on in each of our lives and as you watch us living your legacy, my commitment is to pray for your anointing on our lives. See you soon Sir!
Brig Yvonne Kerubo
General Ogolla Sir, The tragic and most unfortunate air crash that ended your thriving life as well as those of nine other colleagues still remain so surreal. However, I hang on to the Biblical tenets you fully imbued; that INDEED, even in the darkest moments of our lives, we need to stand firm in faith and hope to be re-united with God our creator given that life on earth is transient. I thank God for the opportunity I was granted to work with you in various capacities as you rose through the ranks of your illustrious career in the Kenya Defence Forces. All my interactions with you at work, were a consistent; the outstanding professionalism, courageous leadership and unwavering commitment to the well-being of your family as well as the Kenya Defence Forces personnel especially the soldiers. All our conversations would WITHOUT FAIL entail, three components (which I have now learnt was your standard doctrinal modus operandi) open discourse on assigned tasks, witty joke(s) to underscore your intent and several off the cuffs to check on how I was getting on with the home/work balance. Each interaction would reinforce clarity, confidence and purpose. I will cherish and hang on to the memories and invaluable lessons I learnt from the many conversations. From you Sir, I learnt to stand firm in faith, relentlessly seek knowledge, forge on with well thought through courses of action with empathy, compassion and willingness to learn from mistakes. I thank God for the profound lessons you imparted both in life and death. My prayer is that God will continue to watch over your family; Madam Aileen, Lorna, Joel, Muthoni, Taji and your extended family in a special way so that they may carry forth your indelible legacy. Continue to rest in perfect peace Sir, till we meet again.
Maj. (rtd) D. M. Ndeti
Pole for the death of Gen. Ogolla. He was a fine man and a good officer, He came to Laikipia in the mid '80s and we flew the F5s together. Again, I say pole to his family, members of the Armed forces, Kenyans and all those who knew him
Masidis Scholastica Madowo
I am a Member of County Assembly (MCA) representing South East Alego Ward in Siaya County. I represent the home area in Siaya where General comes from. Although I didn't get to meet General in person, we communicated quite a bit on a project that has left a profound admiration of the person he was. In my vast administrative ward (constituency) I was faced with an emergency situation with the onset of the El-nino rains around October 2023. The rains caused several rivers to swell and the improvised wooden stick crossings became slipperty and very dangerous especially for school children crossing from one side to the other on their way to and from school everyday. One morning I woke up to an alarm that two little boys slipped and fell in one of the rivers on their way to school in the morning. Luckily, an adult man was passing and jumped in and saved their lives. As a mother, I became restless and traumatized. I had to look for a quick solution. With scarce resources at the County, I made several calls but it was not possible except through the regular budgeting process which was long. I needed immediate action. I don't know how I ended up thinking of General Ogolla. On hindsight, I believe it was the voice of God that led me to him. I did not know him and had never met him. I asked around and got his telephone number very easily and then sent him a WhatsApp message, introduced myself and left it at that. I was very surprised when he responded very quickly addressing me as "Mheshimiwa". Imagine my shock - a whole General addressing me as Honourable! With this positive response, I got the courage to explain to him the situation on the ground and that I needed financial support to construct some bridges in the ward which posed a great danger to the users, especially school children. He agreed in principle and said that I prioritize them then get a local contractor to do a quotation for the most critical one to start with. I did that and shared with him the Bill of Quantities (BQ) and quotation for the works and the payment plan as agreed with the contractor. The total cost was KShs 350,000. Immediately, he sent to me by mpesa the first instalment to kick-start the work. I shared with him photos and receipts as the work continued until it was completed within a period of one month - in January. The bridge crossing is at Oruor Dam which is in Malunga/Matera village in Mur Malanga sublocation. He was very happy with the work done and promised to come and see it the next time he visited the village. I had planned to use the opportunity of his visit to discuss other pressing development issues. But this was not to be. That he trusted a politician he had never met spoke volumes of the kind of person he was. The bridge which was named General Ogolla bridge remains his legacy to us. To his widow, Aileen and the children, know that you had a fine husband and dad. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Charles Odanga
It was with profound shock and deep sadness when we the nation of Kenya and beyond received the news of the passing on of Kenya's 11th Defence Chief.Life is FINITE as you once said.The best legacy to leave is the Life of Humility and kindness heartedness that you portrayed.Rest in Peace Sir till we meet again.Amen
Daudi White
https://youtu.be/DYr3xkY1upM?si=dPyi4qhU7tv7gkXK