Three weeks after her husband died, Aileen Ogolla on May 7, relinquished her position as the Military Wives Association of Kenya (MWAK) chairperson.
In a ceremony held at Nairobi, Aileen handed over the reins of MWAK leadership to Grace Kahariri who is the spouse to the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) Charles Muriu Kahariri.
Aileen’s husband the late CDF Francis Ogolla died in a chopper crash on April 19.
In a statement from the Ministry of Defence, it was explained that MWAK leadership borrows heavily from the KDF structure.
As such, MWAK's top leadership had to mirror the military shakeup done by President William Ruto following the death of Francis Ogolla.
President Ruto acting in his capacity as Commander in Chief of Armed Forces had appointed CDF Kahariri alongside John Omenda who is now serving as the Vice Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF).
In that regard, Hellen Omenda the spouse to VCDF was appointed to deputise Grace Kahariri.
It should be noted that before assuming top leadership of MWAK, Grace Kahariri had served as vice chair of the organisation owing to the fact that her husband was VCDF then.
Ailleen appreciated the MWAK staff for the support they accorded to her during the short stint she served as chairperson.
“She encouraged the members to channel the same spirit to the incoming chair who is just as capable and passionate about making a positive difference for women and the families of the KDF personnel,” the Ministry of Defence quoted her as saying.
Although she is fading away from military barracks, she promised her availability should MWAK need her input on welfare matters.
“I look forward to seeing this organisation morph into something bigger and register even more achievements,” she stated while being thankful for the opportunity to serve.
