Officer. That is how I called him. He was one of the best, if not the best, sports journalists Kenya has ever produced. He was a wonderful human being who minded his business and did not cross anyone’s path.

Chris Tsuma, who died nine years ago, was stern, but colleagues he worked closely with eulogised him as a gentle giant whose intellect was the most impressive part of him.

We nicknamed him Officer because he was once in the Kenya Defence Forces. I do not know what his rank was, but referring to him as an officer will probably rile up senior KDF soldiers because they are always more concerned with laypeople addressing them by their right ranks than winning public trust.

We used to joke that he left the barracks for the newsroom because journalism uses militaristic phrases, and he would just be comfortable, but he said Nah, he was bored—that KDF is too conservative, too closed, lacks dynamism, and is rooted in old routines that other militaries have long dumped—so, he walked out!

We could not take his word as gospel truth, but once in a while something KDF-related would happen, and he would remind us why in his book, KDF is rooted in olden routines, even as he educated us on the difference between a platoon, brigade, battalion, squad and such whenever we mixed up our nouns.

Over the years, certain incidents bear out Officer’s assertions that KDF is too conservative for the modern world, more so when it comes to public communication.

Barely two weeks ago, the British Broadcasting Corporation released a documentary about the deaths of young Kenyans at the Parliament buildings during anti-poor governance protests in June 2024. The production alleged that KDF was deeply involved with their officer being the one who shot the protestors.

Of course, during the making of the documentary, the BBC contacted KDF, which did not respond. Even after the production was released and viewed by millions globally, the KDF has not denied or admitted that there was a failure on its part, and that the shooter was a rogue KDF officer, since the police and KDF officers cannot be deployed to run an operation together.

It should not be forgotten that during the protests, KDF officers were lauded for their professionalism and restraint when they were on the streets for a day, unlike the police officers, who were using lethal force against unarmed protestors.

For years, we have always been told how highly regarded KDF is globally, and Kenyans have believed it because we rarely get to interact with them, and we tend to trust them since the police service is too reckless, and we are learning to cope with their waywardness and wickedness.

The trust the KDF has enjoyed is likely to erode as the global village grows and more people embrace communication technology. The KDF top brass knows the pitfalls of a nation losing trust in its military, but since they are rooted in old practices, they are deliberately failing to address the issue at hand, probably in the hope that Kenyans are also old school and will forget and move on.
We can all argue that the person fingered in the documentary is not from KDF and just had a uniform that resembles KDF’s, but since when did the distinctive combat fatigues that only KDF was known for become everyday wear for police officers using lethal force against Kenyans exercising their constitutional rights?

Probably the discussion needs to start from there. The dress code. Many Kenyans cannot tell the difference between the combat fatigues worn by the army, the air force, and the navy personnel, but they have always known that the KDF’s uniform is different from the police’s.

However, nowadays, it is not easy to tell who is who, and Kenyans cannot be blamed for saying that KDF officers are working with the police to maim and kill them during peaceful protests.

That confusion can be cleared if the KDF could open up and realise that we are in the 21st century and not in an era when militaries are to be feared and their actions not challenged.

Kenyans are expressing their disgust over the killing of unarmed civilians at the Parliament buildings during the June 2024 protests, but the KDF is silent.

Retired KDF officers, who can see the world from a different viewpoint, are probably also talking how their former employer is stuck in a rut, and needs to change, but no one is listening.

The KDF needs to speak to Kenyans and tell them the truth about the shooter. If it is conducting investigations, Kenyans need to know the progress, otherwise, we will take as gospel truth Officer’s assertions that KDF is too rigid and can never embrace change.

— The writer is the Managing Editor of the Alliance for Science (AfS). These views are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the position of AfS or its partners