Kenya’s leader, William Ruto has appointed Major General Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed as the new Commander of the Air Force. She is the first female to occupy any position at that level of the country’s military.
General Ahmed has previously held other firsts in male-dominated military leadership. She was the first woman to rise to the rank of Brigadier and then Major General.
Her appointment came alongside that of General Charles Kahariri who will replace the late General Francis Ogolla as military chief following his death in a helicopter crash last month.
Ahmed, joined the military in 1983, serving with the female-only Women’s Service Corps until it was disbanded in 1999. It’s members were then absorbed into the conventional military forces and she rose through the ranks to become the country’s first female General.
Her rise is seen as an achievement in promoting gender equality in the Armed Forces.
