President William Ruto has appointed Major General David Ketter as the new commander of the Kenya Army in the latest changes to the military leadership.

Ketter’s appointment places him in a pole position in the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) succession as he is likely to become the next Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) when General Charles Kahariri retires.

According to Tonje Rules, a CDF serves for a four year term or exits upon attainment of the retirement age of 62 years. General Kahariri was appointed to the role in 2024 and will have achieved the age of retirement in 2028.

In a statement, the Ministry of Defense announced the promotion of  Ketter from a Lieutenant General to a Major General to replace Lieutenant General David Tarus who was redeployed to the National Defence University as Vice Chancellor.

“His Excellency Hon Dr William Samoei Ruto, C.G.H, President of the Republic of Kenya, and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces upon recommendation of the Defence Council, has today promoted Major General David Kipkemboi Ketter to Lieutenant General and appointed him as the Commander Kenya Army,” said Temesi Mukani, the ministry’s director of public communication.

Like many men and women in the armed forces, Ketter has largely kept his life private but some of his military achievements have been documented.

For instance, he is the immediate former Assistant Chief of Defence Forces in charge of Personnel and Logistics.

In his previous position, Ketter was in charge of operational readiness and human resource planning across KDF.

Previously, he held leadership roles such as Chief of Delegation for Kenya in military sports.

Also, participated in key military seminars, emphasizing leadership and mentorship within the armed forces.