This year’s Mashujaa Day Guard of Honor featured first female Commander.
During the celebrations at Kwale Stadium, a Guard of Honor (GoH) was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Faith Mwagandi.
This, marking a historic moment as she becomes the first female senior officer to lead a GoH at a national event.
The troops for the GoH are drawn from the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), namely the Kenya Army, Kenya Air Force, and Kenya Navy.
Lt. Col. Mwagandi’s trailblazing career began when she joined the KDF in 2007.
She then made history as the first female Warship Commander in East Africa, taking command of the Kenya Navy Ship (KNS) Shujaa from 2019 to 2022.
Her extensive experience includes training at the Britannia Royal Naval College in the UK and serving on various Kenya Navy vessels such as KNS Galana, KNS Shupavu, and KNS Shujaa.
She also contributed significantly as an instructor at the Kenya Navy Training School and as a navigating officer on RV Mtafiti.
Notably, she served as the Principal Warfare Officer during a critical voyage to the Netherlands for the midlife refit of KNS Shujaa.
Lt. Col. Mwagandi is an alumna of Moi Girls Eldoret and briefly attended Kenyatta University.
She switched to a military career after spotting a newspaper advertisement for KDF cadet recruitment, a decision that set her on a path to break barriers.
She currently serves as Staff Officer 1 (SO1) in charge of Personnel and Administration at the Kenya Navy.
