The Force Commander of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), Jeff Nyagah, on Friday, April 28, exited the mission citing aggravated threats to his safety.
Shortly after his exit, Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) appointed Major General Alphaxard Muthuri Kiungi to take over his duties.
In the latest changes, Nyagah was redeployed to the position of General Officer of Western Command.
KDF however, denied reports that Nyagah exited the mission due to threats. They insisted that he was just redeployed.
In a strongly-worded letter termed fake by KDF, Nyagah claimed that unidentified individuals had been deployed to survey his residence, forcing him to relocate.
He further lamented that he suffered sustained media attacks aimed at tarnishing his reputation in leading the force operating in the embattled Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
"There has been a well-orchestrated and financed negative media campaigns targeted at my personality and direct written false accusations of EACRF's complacency on the handling of the M23 group," the letter read in part.
Nyagah partially blamed the DRC Government, which he argued was interfering with the army operations in the region.
"This is further enhanced by the current push by the Government of DRC to have the FC rotated every three months which was not envisioned in the current mandate," Nyagah added.
He further noted that his team's efforts to broker peace in the Central African country were affected by a lack of funds including failure to pay administrative costs, electricity as well as salaries for civilian staff participating in the operation.
In the KDF changes, President William Ruto promoted Lieutenant General Francis Omondi Ogolla to serve as the Chief of the Defence Forces.
Ogolla took over from Robert Kibochi, whose 4 years tenure at the helm had lapsed. KDF communique further disclosed that Kibochi was retiring after 44 years of service.
What Was His role
Nyagah, in November 2022, was tasked with commanding soldiers drawn from East African countries, including the Kenya Defence Forces.
His role in DRC involved issuing directives to all soldiers. The mission's success depended on his leadership.
During his first media address after landing in DRC, Nyagah vowed to prioritise the political process led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"We have been mandated to support DRC in collaboration with humanitarian agencies to continue humanitarian relief to populations affected by armed group activities, including Internally Displaced Persons," he stated.
Before heading to DRC, Nyagah also led a similar mission in Somalia which targeted the terrorist group Al Shabaab.
