Chief of Defense Forces General Samson Mwathethe's term expires officially on April 17th this year and President Uhuru Kenyatta could appoint his replacement soon or later.
The former Deputy Chief of Defense Forces and Naval Commander took over in April 17th, 2016 from Julius Karangi who retired after 40 years in service.
President Uhuru Kenyatta could appoint his replacement immediately or opt to extend his term for one more year as per the KDF act.
According to Tonje Rules, formulated by former Chief of General Staff Daudi Tonje, the Chief of Defense Forces is held in a four-year rotational basis among the three disciplines that make Kenya Defense Forces.
General Mwathethe is a naval officer and had taken over from Karangi, an Air Force officer. This means that his predecessor will automatically come from Kenya Army and must be the highest in rank or command within the military.
Currently, Mwathethe's deputy Robert Kibochi and Army Commander Walter Raria hold the rank of Lieutenant General. However, Kibochi is the next automatic successor.
Once he exits from military, General Mwathethe could yet again land a job should president Uhuru Kenyatta deem it fit to deploy him to a parastatal just like his predecessors.
The CDF reports directly to the president who is the Commander-in-Chief of all armed forces. To be in the position, one must be a four star general.
In military, service commanders of Navy and Air Force hold Major-General rank while that of Kenya Army must be a Lieutenant General. But once promoted to Deputy Chief of Defense Forces, one automatically assumes the Lt. General rank.