Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Peter Mbogo Njiru, is a Kenyan

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

, who serves as the Commander, Kenya Army, since July 2022. The Kenya Army is a service branch of the

Kenya Defence Forces The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) ( sw, Majeshi ya Ulinzi ya Kenya, stylized as "KENYA ARMED FORCES" capitalized on its coat of arms) are the armed forces of the Republic of Kenya. They are made up of the Kenya Army, Kenya Navy, and Kenya Air Forc ...

(KDF). Before his present assignment, General Njiru was the commander of the Kenya Joint Command and Staff College, at the rank of Major General.

Background and education

According to his profile at the Kenya Ministry of Defence, he enlisted in the Kenya Army in June 1985 as an Officer Cadet. He graduated in June 1986 as a

Second Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

and was posted to an artillery unit, later rising to commanding officer of the unit. He has studied in many varied military and academic institutions both in Kenya and other countries. He holds a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

International Security International security, also called global security is a term which refers to the measures taken by states and international organizations, such as the United Nations, European Union, and others, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These meas ...

from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

and has attended the ''Royal College of Defence Studies Course'' administered once annually by the

Royal College of Defence Studies The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

, in London, United Kingdom. Other courses attended include the "Junior Command Course, Grade 2 Staff Course, Peace Support Operations, African Disarmament Course, Joint Senior Command Course, International Battle Group Commanders Course, Next Generation of Military Leaders Course" and others.

Career

On 20 July 2022,

Uhuru Kenyatta Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 26 October 1961) is a Kenyan politician who served as the fourth president of Kenya from 2013 to 2022. Kenyatta was chosen by Daniel Arap Moi as his preferred successor, but Kenyatta was defeated by opposition le ...

, the president of Kenya at that time, appointed Lieutenant General Peter Mbogo Njiru, as the 22nd Commander of the Kenyan Army. He replaced Lieutenant General Walter Koipaton Raria, who retired from the Kenya military, later in 2022. The handover ceremony took place at the Department of Defence Headquarters in Nairobi, on 8 August 2022. As of July 2022, during the 36 years in the Kenya Defence Forces, he had held many leadership positions in the KDF, including Staff Officer One, responsible for Operations, Plans, Doctrine and Training (OPD&T) at the KDF headquarters, in Nairobi. In addition, he served as the "Commandant Recruits Training School, Commandant Kenya Military Academy, Commandant Joint Command and Staff College". He also served as aide-de-camp (ADC) to president Uhuru Kenyatta, when he was the Commander-in-Chief of the KDF.

Other considerations

He was a Commanding Officer of the Kenyan Battalion as part of the

United Nations Mission in South Sudan The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission for South Sudan, which became independent on 9 July 2011. UNMISS was established on 8 July 2011 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1996 (201 ...

(UNMISS). He also served as a Staff Officer in

United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was established by the United Nations Security Council in July 2000 to monitor a ceasefire in the border war that began in 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea. First military troops Nethe ...

(UNMEE). He was awarded the Chief of the Burning Spear (CBS) medal by Uhuru Kenyatta, the President of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces.

Personal

He is a married father of three children.

References

External links

President Kenyatta Promotes Former Aide Njiru In Key Military Changes
As of 21 July 2022.

Succession table

{{DEFAULTSORT:Njiru, Peter Mbogo Personnel of the Kenya Army Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of the Royal College of Defence Studies Alumni of King's College London Chiefs of the Order of the Burning Spear