Kenya Defence Chief – General (Dr.) Julius Waweru Karangi; Career Profile

General (Dr.) Julius Waweru Karangi was born on 28^th April 1951 in Nyeri County. He is currently the highest ranking officer in the Kenya Defence Forces as the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF).

General (Dr.) Julius Waweru Karangi joined the Kenya Air Force as a cadet recruit where he went for his training in the UK and was commissioned as an officer in 1974. He qualified as a flight navigator in the Royal Air Force in England in 1975 and was posted to the Flying Wing Kenya Air Force.

General (Dr.) Julius Waweru Karangi has vast training from countries like UK, US and India. He has remarkable experience drawn from his years in the military where He;

• Liaison officer in Sarajevo-Bosnia
• Senior Military Liaison officer in Belgrade-Serbia
• Senior Military Observer in Belgrade and Croatia – all three with UN as a peacekeeper in 1992/93
• Officer in Charge of the Research Department at the Defence Headquarters
• Instructor at the Defence Staff College and Armed Forces Training College in Lanet
• Served as an officer in charge of management of the American Military Aid to Kenya
• Commander of an Air Defence Battalion in Kenya Air Force

In 1995, Gen (Dr) Karangi was appointed as the Commander of the Moi Air Base. He scaled the ranks and was appointed the Commander of the Kenya Air Force Logistics Command in 1997 and later posted to the Defence Headquarters in 1998 as Chief Procurement of the Kenya Defence Forces. He was appointed as Assistant Chief of Defence in charge of Training, Doctrine and Procurement for the KDF in May 1999.

Between December 2000 and November 2003, Gen Karangi served as the Commandant for the Defence Staff College in Karen and had now risen to the rank of Major General in the military from where he was appointed to the Commander of the Kenya Air Force. He served as the Commander between 2003 and August 2005 when he was promoted to Lieutenant General and posted to the Defence Headquarters as the Vice Chief of Defence Forces.

Gen (Dr) Karangi was appointed as Kenya’s first ever Chief of Defence Forces on 13^th July 2014 after he was promoted to the rank of General a position he holds to date. He has received National Honors of Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (EGH), Chief the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS), Distinguished Conduct Order (DCO) and The Legion of Merit.

Gen (Dr) Karangi holds a Masters of Science in Security and Risk Management from the University of Leicester (UK) and an Honorary Doctorate on Humane Letters from Kenyatta University (Kenya).

Gen (Dr) Karangi is married to Mrs. Mary Karangi and they have three children; a son and two daughters.