In the next few days, Navy man General Samson Mwathethe, will exit Department of Defense headquarters after serving as Chief of Defense Forces for four years.
While it would have been possible for his tenure to be extended by President Uhuru Kenyatta for another year, Mwathethe's exit however, is inevitable since Kenya is not at war or at least there is no political uncertainty in the country.
Like most of his predecessors, Mwathethe would have aspired to leave behind a good legacy. His immediate predecessor General Julius Karangi, is credited for conquering Kismayu, the hot bed of Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.
For General Jeremiah Kianga, he managed post election violence in 2008 besides helping to crash Sabaot Land Defense Forces, which had become a menace in Mt Elgon. Others like General Daudi Tonje are credited for military revolution under the popular Tonje Rules.
In the book Kenya Navy: A 50-year Voyage, which was published in his early months as CDF, Gen Mwathethe promised to get the “bad guys” — in reference to Al-Shabaab terrorists.
“It will be difficult to pin-point outstanding achievements which can be associated with him,” Mr Edward Wanyonyi, a graduate of war studies from King’s College, London, says about the General.
In January 2016, Al-Shabaab militants crashed into a Kenyan military camp killing close to 200 soldiers. The El Adde attack remains the worst single casualty ever suffered by KDF.
To date, General Samson Mwathethe, despite promising to publish a report on the tragedy, nothing is forthcoming. The families of the victims have also persistently complained of government's abandonment.
“The General does not want the report to come out because it will expose the incompetence of his commanders,” said Major (Rtd) John Ondieki.
A year later, in January 2017, at least 60 troops were killed in yet another attack on KDF in the Somalia town of Kolbiyow in an Al-Shabaab attack. Once again, the terrorists’ tactics were similar — a vehicle full of explosives followed by fighters.
While Mwathethe promised to crash the militants, still again, at least 21 people were killed in January 2019 at DusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi. Accounts published by the police shows suspects made entry to Kenya via Somalia, yet again putting Mwathethe's leadership into scrutiny.
A fortnight ago, Al-Shabaab militants are also said to have crossed from Somalia and abducted two Cuban doctors working in Mandera. Over 10 days later, despite heavy deployment of KDF soldiers selected from elite Rangers Strike Regiment, nothing is yet forthcoming.
General Mwathethe's replacement shall come from the Kenya Army. Tonje Rules provides rotational basis among the KDF team. Lt General Robert Kibochi is at pole position to succeed him given his seniority in the military. He's currently the Vice Chief of Defense Forces and at one point served as Army Commander.