Brigadier Paul Njuguna takes helm of KDF's Strategic Communications Unit

A long-serving Public Information officer at the Kenya Defence Forces has been promoted to Brigadier and appointed Chief of the Strategic Communications Unit.

Colonel Paul Njuguna was this week promoted to Brigadier and appointed head of the communications wing of the military succeeding Brigadier Zipporah Kioko, who heads to the National Defence University, Kenya.

Before his appointment to Stratcomm, Njuguna had been serving as Head of Postgraduate Studies and Director of Corporate Communications at the National Defence University-Kenya based in Nakuru.

A look at his career history shows Brig Njuguna was promoted to the rank of a full colonel in August 2016 and appointed KDF Spokesperson succeeding Col David Obonyo who at the time proceeded to Tanzania for further studies.

Before then, he is remembered as also having served as the Spokesperson for the African Union Mission in Somalia then in the rank of a Lt Colonel.

On her part, Brigadier Kioko will be remembered as the first Chief of the Strategic Communications Unit, a position she was appointed to in 2022 after serving as KDF Spokesman for two years, then as a full colonel and the first woman officer to hold that position.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta when she promoted Brigadier Zipporah Kalondu Kioko at State House, Nairobi on July 7, 2022. (Photo: PCS)

In July 2021 she proceeded to the Royal College of Defence in the UK for further studies and was succeeded by Col Easther Wanjiku who is serving as the first Kenyan Defence Attache to Japan.

Gender mainstreaming efforts

Her appointment to the Spokesperson position on April 30, 2020, was termed as part of the gender mainstreaming efforts in the military initiated by then Chief of Defence Forces Gen Samson Mwathethe.

Brigadier Kioko is among the high-ranking female officers in the Kenya Defence Forces.

Others include; Major General Fatuma Ahmed the highest ranking female officer in the military who made history in May this year when she was appointed Commander Kenya Air Force succeeding General John Omenda who was promoted to Lt General and appointed Vice Chief of Defence Forces and Brigadier Yvonne Kerubo-Chief of Legal Services at the Defence Headquarters, Brigadier Alice Muringo Mate who was later appointed Director, Assets Recovery Agency and Lt Col Rachael Nduta Kimani-Deputy aide-de-camp (ADC).

This year, more than 1,000 service women began their career in the military ranking as the highest number of service women to be deployed at the same time in history after six months of rigorous training.

President William Ruto has also contributed to gender mainstreaming in the Department of Defence with the nomination of Soipan Tuya as the next Defence Cabinet Secretary, a position she will take once approved by parliament.

Other past female Defence Cabinet Secretaries include; Dr Monicah Juma and Raychelle Omamo.