Charlene Ruto: Gen Ogolla spoke highly of Africa Youth Climate Assembly

Charlene Ruto: I only met CDF Ogolla once, but his death has hit me hard

At the funeral service held at Senator Obama Primary School on April 20, President William Ruto’s daughter, Charlene Ruto, paid a moving tribute to Chief of Defence Forces General Ogolla and expressed condolences on behalf of the nation's youth.

Sharing the podium with General Ogolla's daughter, Lorna, Charlene extended heartfelt condolences to the family, saying: "Our condolences to the family of General Ogolla from the young people of Kenya. Kenya has lost a CDF and as young people we have lost our mentor and our champion.

Reflecting on her interaction with the late General Ogolla, Charlene recounted their conversation last year. "I met him last year and he spoke so highly of the Africa Youth Climate Assembly and asked how we could mainstream the culture of environmentalism and climate action in the defence forces. We may still have to do that in his honour," she said.

In a poignant moment, Charlene revealed her disbelief when she read General Ogolla's last text message to her. "I'm still in disbelief. I read his last text to me this time last month and I just broke down. He was truly our champion. May he rest in peace," she concluded, paying tribute to the fallen general.

"I met General Ogolla only once, but once was enough for me to experience his kindness, his genuine care and love for young people, and his determination to support us to succeed," she concluded.