Lt. General Leonard Muriuki Ngodi of Kenya, Appointed Force Commander of UNAMID in Darfur
August/10 | pm:2:03 / No Comments 301 views(Press Release) United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat yesterday announced the appointment of
Lieutenant General Leonard Muriuki Ngondi of Kenya as Force Commander for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID). He succeeds Lieutenant General Frank Mushyo Kamanzi of Rwanda to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and effective leadership as head of UNAMID military component.
Currently the Commandant of the National Defence College, a position he has held since 2016, Lieutenant General Ngondi has had a distinguished career with the Kenyan Defence Forces, spanning over thirty-nine years, including as Commander Kenya Army (2015-2016), General Officer Commanding Western Command and General Officer Commanding Eastern Command, Chief Instructor Defence Staff College, Brigade Commander and Commandant School of Infantry. Lieutenant General Ngondi has also served as Force Commander in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (2012) and Commanding Officer, Kenyan battalion (KENBATT) in the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (2000). He was also deployed as part of the Kenyan contingent in the United Nations Transition Assistance Group in Namibia (1990).
Lieutenant General Ngondi is a graduate of the Kenyan National Defence College and Defence Staff College. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human and Social Studies from the University of South Africa and is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Studies from University of Nairobi.
Born in 1959, he is married with three children.