Major General Fatuma Ahmed

Major General Fatuma Ahmed defines what women can achieve even at heights previously viewed as men’s only.

She was appointed Commander of the Kenya Air Force (KAF) on May 2, 2024, by President William Ruto. Before this appointment, she served as the Senior Directing Staff Air at the National Defence College.

Major General Ahmed enlisted in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in 1983 and was commissioned in 1985 after completing her foundational Military Officers’ Training at the Kenya Military Academy (KMA).

With a career spanning over 30 years in military service, she has held various leadership, command, and management positions. These include serving as a Staff Officer from December 1999 to July 2015, during which she rose to the rank of Colonel, and as a Training Officer with the Integrated Training Service at the United Nations Secretariat in New York from 2005 to 2008.

She also served as a Military Observer with the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) from 2001 to 2002.

In July 2015, she was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and appointed Managing Director of the Defence Forces Medical Insurance Scheme. She was subsequently promoted to Major General and appointed Assistant Chief of Defence Forces Personnel and Logistics (ACDF P & L) in July 2018. In 2021, she became the Commandant of the Kenya Military Academy, a position she held until 25 May 2023.

Throughout her illustrious career, Major General Ahmed has pursued numerous courses to enhance her skills and expertise. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sustainable Human Development and is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Social Transformation, specialising in Organisational Management, from Tangaza University College, Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Nairobi. She also earned a Diploma in Management from Strathmore University.

Major General Ahmed has been recognised with various awards and honours, including the Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS), the Order of the Grand Warrior (OGW), and the Operation Linda Nchi Campaign Medal, among others.