Musanze, 06 November 2025

The Chief of Defence Forces of the Kenya Defence Forces (CDF-KDF), General Charles Muriu Kahariri, today visited the Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDF CSC) in Nyakinama, Musanze District, and delivered a lecture of opportunity to the students of Senior Command and Staff Course Intake 14. His lecture was titled “Positioning Africa in a Multipolar World: The Role of the Military in Africa’s Security and Development Amid Global Power Dynamics.”

Upon arrival, General Kahariri and his delegation were received by the Army Chief of Staff, Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, along with the Commandant of the RDF CSC, Brigadier General Andrew Nyamvumba, and members of the college’s leadership. He was briefed on the college’s vision and mission to nurture strategic leaders and critical thinkers for the Rwanda Defence Force and allied nations.

In his lecture, General Kahariri explored Africa’s position in a rapidly evolving global order marked by shifting power centers, renewed great-power competition, and emerging non-traditional security threats. He urged the senior officers to view Africa’s current geopolitical stature as a decisive opportunity that demands the integration of diplomacy, economic strength, military capability, and information power to achieve sustainable peace and development.

The CDF further emphasized the importance of cooperation and integration in addressing Africa’s security and development challenges. He noted that effective coordination among sectors and strategies is essential, and that the military plays a central role in uniting these efforts into a coherent response to emerging threats. He encouraged the senior officers, as future military leaders, to act as policymakers and critical thinkers in this regard.

Highlighting the transformative role of modern defence institutions, General Kahariri called on the students not to think of African militaries as instruments of warfare but as agents of national and regional transformation. He stressed the importance of safeguarding sovereignty, promoting regional integration, and contributing to national development through innovation, logistics, and strategic communication.

For the senior officers in training, the lecture provided not only academic enrichment but also a valuable opportunity to align their strategic perspectives with continental and global realities. He challenged them to envision the military not just as a security actor but as a driving force for Africa’s transformation.