Maj General Fatuma Gaiti Becomes Kenya's First Woman To Command the Air Force
Kenya's first female air force commander has been appointed by President William Ruto. Kenya is witnessing the appointment of Maj Gen Fatuma Gaiti Ahmed as the first female leader of the military service.
Following the tragic deaths of the military chief and others in a helicopter crash last month, she was appointed alongside other leaders, including a new head of the armed forces. As the first woman to achieve the ranks of brigadier and major general, Maj Gen Ahmed has set a number of records in the traditionally male-dominated field of military leadership.
When she enlisted in 1983, she was a member of the Women Service Corps, an elite female-only unit that served independently of the regular military forces. Administrative, logistical, medical, and communication support were all areas in which this auxiliary service excelled.
Members of the unit were only permitted to enlist in the regular army, navy, or air force after its disbandment in 1999. Women like Maj Gen Ahmed were able to advance in the ranks thanks to the co-option of the unit, which also increased the number of options for women to serve in the military.
Many view her ascension to the position as a victory for women's rights in the military.
In 2018, as she was being promoted to major general, then President Uhuru Kenyatta said he was counting on her "to be a positive role model to women in this country".
For women, "there are no limits," the president admonished.
Maj Gen Ahmed has stated in the past that her admiration for her uncle's military discipline and work ethic "shaped my life from a very early stage" and ultimately led her to join the military.
"They said 'that's not a profession for women,'" she stated in an interview she gave to Citizen TV in 2018, referring to the fact that her relatives had tried to dissuade her from enlisting.
"But I was determined to make a difference in my life," she said.