Daily Nation / Friday, February 28, 2003
Army's change of guard
Lt Gen Sumbeiywo's tenure cut short by two years
By STEPHEN MUIRURI
New Kenya Army Commander Jeremiah Mutinda Kianga took office
yesterday in a colourful ceremony lasting four hours.
Outgoing Commander Lt Gen Lazarus Sumbeiywo handed over to his
successor at the Army headquarters in Nairobi, a day after President Mwai
Kibaki announced the changes.
It emerged during the ceremony that Lt Gen Sumbeiywo had been retired
two years before his four-year tenure had expired.
However, he has been retained as Kenya's special envoy to the Sudan
peace talks.
It was the first time in the country's history that the media was allowed to
cover a ceremony of the change of guard at the Army.
Lt Gen Kianga was received by his predecessor when he arrived at the Army
headquarters at 11.15 am. After shaking hands with more than 20 senior
army officers lined up along the road to the commandant's office, the two
Generals in full uniform took the salute from the Army band and a
detachment of the Seventh Battalion of the Kenya Rifles.
The two were invited to inspect a guard of honour in turns, starting with Lt
Gen Sumbeiywo.
After Lt Gen Sumbeiywo handed over the commander's flag to his
successor, the Generals proceeded to Lt Gen Kianga's new office.
Both addressed journalists in an emotional ceremony attended by other
senior Army officers.
The group then proceeded to a hall where the Generals addressed the
officers before they went for lunch at the Senior Officer's Mess.
As the curtains came down for the retiring General, both Lt Gen Sumbeiywo
and Lt Gen Kianga boarded an open ceremonial Army Land Rover and were
escorted to the main gate by officers and the Army band.
The Land Rover was fitted with two thick ropes in front and officers of the
rank of colonel and above pulled it for about 300 metres from the Mess to the
gate.
The event symbolised the old British tradition where a retiring General was
escorted out of the military camp in a horse-drawn carriage.
It meant he had been sent off in a dignified manner and was always welcome
as an ordinary citizen.
At the gate, Lt Gen Sumbeiywo shook hands with Lt Gen Kianga and the
other officers he had worked with in the past 35 years.
As Lt Gen Sumbeiywo sped off in a diplomatic limousine, the gate closed
behind him to signify the end of the two years he served as Army
commander.
Earlier, Lt Gen Sumbeiywo said he left the Army a satisfied man "because I
served in this noble profession with honour and dignity. This should be the
aspiration of every officer in uniform."
He told his successor: "As I leave the army today, I liken it to a ship with a
bearing on the compass. It is going somewhere. I'm confident you will pilot it
to the right destination. My prayers are with you."
Lt Gen Kianga said the army was not new to him since he was the deputy
commander prior to being appointed the assistant Chief of General Staff in
charge of personnel and logistics.
He said: "God knows the destiny of every one of us. It's the desire of
everyone in the army to rise to the top and I'll not let Kenyans down."
"The army is an insurance to Kenya. It's an insurance against (external)
aggression. Kenyans expect a comprehensive insurance not a third party
cover. I'll ensure Kenyans get the value for their investment," the general
added.
Lt Gen Kianga promised to continue with the programmes initiated by his
predecessor and also introduce professionalism in the army.
"The handover in the army is like the relay. Lt Gen Sumbeiywo's ran two
years instead of the expected four (the tenure for a commander is four
years)," he said.
He said Lt Gen Sumbeiywo's services as Kenya's special envoy to the
Sudan peace talks were most valuable to the country because the conflict in
Southern Sudan had a direct bearing on the insecurity in the North Rift of
Kenya. The region is a paradise for cattle rustlers and bandits due to easy
availability of illegal firearms from Sudan and other neighbouring war-ravaged
countries.
"I wish you the best of luck in your new assignment. If you succeed, you will
have helped us by boosting our country's security," he said.
Lt Gen Kianga was born in Machakos District in 1950. He is married to
Christine and they have four children.
He joined the military in 1971 and he holds a masters degree in Military Art
and Science from Kansas University, USA.
He has previously been given military duties outside the country.
President Kibaki, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed forces,
also appointed Major General James M. Mulinge as assistant Chief of
General Staff (personnel and logistics)
Major General A.S.K. Njoroge is appointed as deputy Army Commander.
Major General Mulinge, son of former armed forces chief Gen (Rtd) Jackson
Mulinge, shot to fame in May 2000 when a detachment of Kenyan
peacekeeping troops he was leading in Sierra Leone were captured by a
bandit militia loyal to rebel leader Foday Sankoh.
He was honoured by Liberian President Charles Taylor who was impressed
by his composure under fire. Mulinge had refused an offer of release by the
rebels unless his men were freed along with him.
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