Former President Uhuru Kenyatta will miss Sunday April 21 funeral event of the Chief of Defence Forces Gen Francis Ogolla.
He also missed the military lavish ceremony at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, Lang’ata in Nairobi on Saturday.
This is because he has been out of the country since last Thursday.
Uhuru is said to be in the US at his former college- Amherst College where he is scheduled to receive an honorary degree.
“He is at the Amherst College where he had been invited to receive a honorary degree and that is why he has not attended the events. Gen Ogolla was his man,” said an official close to Uhuru.
The official said Uhuru will mourn Gen Ogolla when he comes back.
Uhuru had sent a statement mourning Gen Ogolla saying the CDF was not only an accomplished military leader, but also a devoted patriot who dedicated his life to serving and protecting our beloved country.
“His leadership, bravery, and unwavering commitment to duty have made a lasting impact on our armed forces and our nation as a whole.”
“As the Head of State, I had the privilege of serving with General Ogolla as Deputy Commander of the Kenya Air Force, Commander of the Kenya Air Force, and finally as Vice Chief of Defence Forces,” he said.
“During this period of mourning, please accept my sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of the other officers of the ill-fated flight.”
Gen Ogolla is the first Chief of Defence Forces to die while in office and on active military duty. He was the 10th military chief.
President William Ruto, the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, will preside over the ceremony ahead of the burial on Sunday at Gen Ogolla’s Ng’iya home in Siaya County.
General Ogolla was killed in a helicopter crash in Kaben area on the border of Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties on Thursday.
Nine other officers died with him and Ruto ordered flags to be flown at half-mast for three days of national mourning.
The military will take charge of the funeral on Sunday.
In keeping with military tradition, Gen Ogolla was Saturday given a military send-off as the most senior officer in the Kenya Defence Forces.
At the heart of the ceremony was a complete military honour that will begin with the military reveille, traditionally used to wake soldiers for duty, but in death, appropriated to mean hope in the afterlife.
“The purpose of Reveille in Commonwealth military tradition is to wake up the sleeping soldiers. Sentries would be strategically placed in depositions during the night to warn the main force of enemy infiltration. The sounding of Reveille would signal the duty officers had completed their inspection of the perimeter and sentries would be able to stand down,” says an explanation by the Australian military, which follows British military traditions
The word Reveille is derived from the French word ‘reveillez’, meaning to ‘wake-up’.
The British origins of these bugle call meant, the soldiers’ days began with buglers playing Reveille and ended with the sounds of the Last Post.
The reveille will be followed by a one-minute silence during which all the people gathered are expected to reflect deeply on the death of the general and the sacrifice that he has made for the country.
It traces its origin to the 1800s when most of the soldiers did not have wrist watches to regulate their activities for the day. They relied on it to wake up and start their daily activities.
The Last Post, one of the most popular military short musical call played using the bugle or the trumpet will also be played to symbolise the final journey of the general and the end of his duty.
Its solemn and mournful melody reminds the mourners of the ultimate sacrifice made by the soldier in serving the nation. It became a common place on the battlefield conflicts in the Boer War and the First World War. It was first performed during the inauguration of the Menin Gate memorial in 1927.
Traditionally, the last post is played to signify that the duty officer has completed their inspection and secured the military camp for the night.
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