First woman major general joined military by accident



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Three years after she became the first woman brigadier of the country, Fatuma Ahmed scored another first.

She was promoted to the coveted Major General position and this could place her online to become a Kenya Defense Forces Chief

A woman with a soft voice and an iron will, she joined the "Army" by accident "in 1983, when she came across a recruitment campaign in Meru asking for an identity card. a member of the Kenyan Women Service Corps reserved for women. She was transferred to the air force when the unit was absorbed by the three armies in 1999. His star has grown rapidly in recent reworkings.

The chief of history was sworn in on Friday at State House, Nairobi, in which President Uhuru Kenyatta described it as "an honor for the country". "I'm counting on you to be a model for women in this republic," Uhuru told him.

Indeed, Fatuma stands out in a country where all the senior commanders of the Navy, Air Force and Army, Chief of the Defense Forces and Head of the College of the National Defense, are men.

Despite a two-thirds rule for public service recruitment, Global Fire Power – a site that ranks armies based on their strength – estimates that the Kenya Defense Forces only count 1,000 women out of more than 30,000 people.

The Star reported in February that 30 women in Kwale and hundreds in Samburu had been fired during recruitment, with officers implying that they were weak.

A senior officer, who did not wish to be named, said: Military service is a special profession. You can not sacrifice numbers in terms of defense and strength of service. We are not people who will do internal work. Our work means lives on the line, and we know that women have their own challenges.

"If you have several, then find that a quarter is pregnant and others with various problems, what does it mean for the area staff?" 100 women in Somalia and [they] are killed there, what do you say? "

Mercy Lolki, one of the banned candidates at Kenyatta Stadium in Samburu, said:" I am came here very early in the morning looking for a KDF job but it was said that women would not be selected for this recruitment.they told us that our luck will come next time. "

Promoting Fatuma to unprecedented heights, Uhuru hopes to break the glbad ceiling. "Let other women see that there are no limits, can you be a great source of inspiration and a guide to the console everywhere," he said. 19659012] [ad_2]
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