Duale clarifies June Ruto's role at National Defence College

President William Ruto’s daughter, June Ruto, has been in the headlines after viral reports that she had landed a directorship appointment at the National Defence College.

Posts on social media claimed that June had been appointed the Director of Foreign Service and participant at the Kenya Defence Forces training institution.

When a popular page uploaded the information on X (formerly Twitter) last night, Kenyans online were up in arms, calling out KDF and the government for what they perceived as nepotism and insensitivity.

“How many positions has she been appointed to? How many Kenyans would be appointed into the same position, if she wasn't?” one Paul Kibet asked on X.

One Sakwah Ongoma accused the government of giving June a white-collar position while many other Kenyan youth are unemployed and only receiving opportunities for manual labour.

“The president promised the graduates that he will create jobs through the affording housing program, where most of them will be employed as construction site manual labourers,” he wrote.

“Nepotism everywhere. Who will employ us poor people?” asked another.

June Ruto then became a trending subject on X, with over 9000 tweets and counting.

As Kenyans increasingly criticised the move, Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale clarified in an interview that June was not appointed to the position but is among students selected to join the college.

“One, the National Defence College is domiciled in the Ministry of Defense. It is led by a Lieutenant General as the Commandant. It has three Major Generals, one representing The Army, The Airforce and The Navy. I was there today, check my Twitter,” Duale said.

“The first cohort of the new students, Cohort 27 for the 2024/2025 academic year — I gave them a lecture of opportunity today. June Ruto, the daughter of the president, a staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is one of the 67 students that have started their classes today.”

The CS added that June was nominated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she is employed.

June and two more officials nominated by the Ministry will take a one-year National Security Strategy Course.

CS Duale took to his X account following the inauguration of the students to note that the course aimed at developing the strategic skills of military and government officials.

“This year's cohort includes 67 participants: 48 from the Kenya Defence Forces and government agencies, and 19 from 16 allied countries in Africa and Asia, reflecting a commitment to regional and global security cooperation,” he wrote.

The CS added: “The participants will engage in a curriculum focused on leadership, strategic studies, and national security, aiming to equip them with the skills to tackle contemporary security issues. The presence of international participants seeks to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen alliances for a unified approach to security.”

Also read: June Ruto ties the knot with Nigerian fiancé

The National Defence College was established in 1992, per its official website. Before its inception and the development of a good curriculum, Kenyan officers were trained abroad.

“The first course did not start until July 1997. Since then the College has successfully run courses annually. The course size and composition has increased steadily over the years to include participants from not only African countries but also from Asia and Europe.”