Tim Lekolool, President William Ruto’s aide de camp, was given to him when he succeeded Uhuru Kenyatta.
The tall Samburu brigadier won the hearts of Kenyans, and many pleaded with Ruto to keep him.
The president, however, had different ideas and quickly replaced Lekolool with a highly skilled army general named Fabian Lengusuranga.
Lengusuranga was ridiculed by some Kenyans for his height, but as a Green Beret, he is probably more deadly than Lekolool.
The paratrooper is a member of the KDF Special Forces, which are comparable to the Seals or Rangers in the US.
The Gilgil-based regiment is among the best in the KDF, but little is known about it, and becoming a colonel is no easy task.
After KDF soldiers traveled to Somalia in 2011, the unit’s motto, “only for the exceptional breed of warriors,” was first made public.
According to national sources, the unit was the first to enter Kismayu, and less than 50 of them helped other forces land safely.
The well-equipped and well trained soldiers were also used in the 2013 Westgate siege.
Only individuals under 27 and with a mean of C+ in KCSE are admitted as Special Forces recruits from the navy, air force, and army.
After the nine weeks of basic combat training, the volunteers go through a two-year training program.
The unit led by Lengusuranga receives higher salary than its contemporaries and receives specialized training in nations like Israel, the US, and others.
The Special Forces are among the few organizations in the world with the high-tech FN SCAR rifle, which was made in Belgium for the US and frequently parachutes from aircraft and rappels from helicopters.
All female recruits drop out of their training because to how difficult it is, and just 25% of those that sign up make it through.
The US spent KSh 527 million in 2020 to train the elite force at different US army bases and prestigious military schools.
Given all of this, Lengusuranga is a deadly assassin even though one of his responsibilities as an ADC is not to safeguard Ruto.
