General Francis Ogolla, who just succeeded Robert Kibochi as the important official at State House, is currently in charge. Ulinzi House houses offices for the CDF. The Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF) position was formerly known as the Chief of the General Staff before the 2010 Constitution, which changed it.
General Julius Waweru Karangi was the first military official to hold the position and title of CDF of the Kenya Defense Forces. Karangi was in charge of Operation Linda Nchi in 2011, which saw Kenya conduct an invasion of Somalia. He was an Air Force veteran. From 2011 to 2015, he held office for four years.
After completing cadet training in the UK, he joined the Kenya Air Force in 1973 and was commissioned as an officer in 1974. He qualified as a flight navigator in the Royal Air Force of England in October 1975 and was then sent to the Flying Wing of the Kenyan Air Force, where he served as a navigator.
Major General General (Rtd) Dr. Karangi was named Commandant of the Defence Staff College in Karen, where he served from December 2000 to November 2003. From November 2003 until August 10, 2005, he was Commander of the Kenya Air Force. He was named Vice Chief of Defence Forces, Defense Headquarters, and was elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General on August 10, 2005.
He was given a promotion to the rank of general and became the new Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) on July 13, 2011. On May 5, 2015, he resigned from the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) after 42 years of illustrious military service. His final four years as Kenya’s Chief of Defense Forces were spent on active duty when Kenya’s military were sent to Somalia for the first time in history to fight Islamic Jihadists.
Gen. (Rtd) Julius Waweru Karangi was named the new Chairperson of the National Council for Population and Development Board by President William Samoei Ruto through a gazette notification that was released on December 23, 2022. He formerly held the positions of chairman of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) and chairman of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Board of Trustees prior to his present appointment by the president of state.
