Quick facts about General Fatuma Gaiti Kenya’s first female Airforce Commander

The appointment of Major General Fatuma Gaiti as Kenya Airforce Commander goes down in history as the first to have ever been made.

President William Ruto in a series of military promotions and changes made the appointment.

Having broken the glass ceiling, she has become the country’s first female Airforce Commander which has been translated as a big win for Kenyan women.

But who is Major General Gaiti?

She first made the headlines in 2015 when former President Uhuru Kenyatta promoted her to the rank of Brigadier.

At the time, Major General Gaiti had been in service for 32 years having enlisted in 1983 before serving under the Women Service Corps.

She was commissioned to the rank of Second Lieutenant in 1985 and posted to the Kenya Air Force.

In 2021, she was promoted to the rank of Major General further solidifying her remarkable career.

She became the first woman to ever rise to rank in the Kenyan military.

In 2023, she was appointed as the Senior Directing Staff Air by President William Ruto. 

Major General Gaiti has served as a Battalion Second in Command (BN 2IC) Staff Officer II Audit Personnel and Records.

She is a graduate of the National Defence College and an alumni of the Defence Staff College where she graduated in July 2000.

Major General Gaiti holds a Diploma in Management from Strathmore University College.