The military ranking in Kenya is categorized into two; commissioned and non-commissioned officers. The non-commissioned provide rank for the foot soldiers and servicemen while the commissioned provide the leadership ranks the General who is an equivalent to the admiral being the highest. The Kenya Navy is no Exception.
The non-commissioned from the highest to the lowest;
- Warrant Officer 1
- Warrant Officer 2
- Senior Sergeant
- Sergeant
- Corporal
- Senior Private
- Private
The ranking in the Kenyan navy is not in line with the traditional naval ranking but rather in line with the Kenya’s military ranking. The commissioned officer from the lowest ranking officer to the highest;
| Kenyan naval ranking | traditional naval ranking equivalent |
| Second Lieutenant | Midshipman |
| Lieutenant | Sub-Lieutenant |
| Captain | First Lieutenant |
| Major | Lieutenant Commander |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Commander |
| Colonel | Captain |
| Brigadier | Commodore |
| Major General | Rear-Admiral |
| Lieutenant-General | Vice Admiral |
| General | Admiral |
The first Kenyan to head the Navy was Lt Col J.C.J Kimaro who was killed in a car accident in 1978 but below is the full list of Kenya Navy Cheifs:
- Commander E M C Walker, RN 1964–1967
- Commander A A Pearse, RN 1967–1969
- Commander W A E Hall, RN 1969–1972 – last Royal Navy officer to command Kenyan Navy
- Lieutenant Colonel J C J Kimaro 1972–1978 – first Kenyan to head navy
- Major General E S Mbilu 1978–1988
- Major General Joseph R E Kibwana 1988–1998
- Major General Aboud Abdalla Rafrouf 1998–2002
- Major General Pastor O Awitta 2002–2006
- Major General Samson Jefwa Mwathethe 2006–2011
- Major General Ngewa Mukala 2011– Present































