In what appeared to be a sharp deviation from military doctrines, President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday issues rare and tough instructions to Kenya Defense Forces in public.
Narok Governor Samuel Tunai had set pace when he requested President Uhuru Kenyatta to persuade the KDF team to leave behind an Extra Wide Bailey Bridge they had constructed in Narok Stadium.
"Your Excellency, when I spoke to KDF, they told me the bridge will be taken away. However, as the Commander-in-Chief of armed forces, please ask them to leave it behind," he said.
But in a rejoinder, while Uhuru observed that it was against military traditions to leave the bridge behind, he asked them to temporarily leave it until a new one is constructed.
"The governor had made a request but it seems tough. But the KDF team must leave this behind until they complete constructing a new one," he said.
On its official KDF Twitter account, the armed forces teams could not hesitate to confirm the command from the Head of State, quoting his orders to members of the public.
"The President assured Narok residents that the Extra Wide Bailey Bridge constructed by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) at Narok Stadium - a replacement of a previous bridge that had collapsed - will remain in place until when KDF will construct a permanent bridge," KDF wrote.
Most instructions given to the KDF remain closed guarded secrecy until the official execution takes place. It was the first time Kenya was hosting Madaraka Day in Narok.