List of officeholders
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| 1 | Major General Sir Ian Freeland (1912–1979) |
12 December 1963 | 30 April 1964 | 140 days | ||
| 2 | Brigadier A. J. Hardy |
1 May 1964 | 30 November 1966 | 2 years, 213 days | ||
| 3 | Brigadier Joseph Musyimi Lele Ndolo |
1 December 1966 | 31 May 1969 | 2 years, 181 days | ||
| 4 | Major General Jackson Mulinge (1924–2014) |
1 June 1969 | 22 November 1978 | 9 years, 144 days | ||
| 5 | Major General Joseph Kathuka Nzioka |
1 December 1978 | 12 December 1979 | 1 year, 11 days | ||
| 6 | Major General John Malan Sawe |
13 December 1979 | 2 January 1981 | 1 year, 20 days | ||
| 7 | Major General Mahamoud Mohamed |
3 January 1981 | 14 December 1981 | 346 days | ||
| 8 | Lieutenant General John M. Sawe |
15 December 1981 | 27 February 1986 | 4 years, 74 days | ||
| 9 | Lieutenant General James Lelasian Lengees |
28 February 1986 | 30 November 1993 | 7 years, 275 days | ||
| 10 |  |
Lieutenant General Daniel Rerimoi Chepkonga Tonje |
1 December 1993 | 22 June 1994 | 203 days | |
| 11 | Lieutenant General Augustine K. Cheruiyot |
28 June 1994 | 7 June 1998 | 3 years, 344 days | ||
| 12 | Lieutenant General Adan Abdullahi |
9 June 1998 | 30 November 2000 | 2 years, 174 days | ||
| 13 | Lieutenant General Lazarus K. Sumbeiywo |
1 December 2000 | 28 February 2003 | 2 years, 89 days | ||
| 14 | Lieutenant General Jeremiah Kianga EGH, CBS, ndc (K), cgsc (USA) |
1 March 2003 | 10 August 2005 | 2 years, 162 days | ||
| 15 |  |
Lieutenant General Augostino Stephen Karanu Njoroge MGH, CBS, ndc (K), psc |
10 August 2005 | 5 December 2008 | 3 years, 117 days | |
| 16 | Lieutenant General Jackson Kiprono Tuwei |
5 December 2008 | 30 November 2010 | 1 year, 360 days | ||
| 17 |  |
Lieutenant General Njuki Mwaniki MGH, CBS, OGW, ndc (K), psc |
30 November 2010 | 13 July 2011 | 225 days | |
| 18 | Lieutenant General Joseph Kiptoo Kasaon MGH, CBS, DCO, ndc (K), psc, cgsc (USA) (born 1958) |
13 July 2011 | 17 April 2015 | 3 years, 278 days | ||
| 19 | Lieutenant General Leonard Muriuki Ngondi MGH, CBS, OGW, ndc (K), psc (born 1959) |
17 April 2015 | 22 September 2016 | 1 year, 158 days | ||
| 20 |  |
Lieutenant General Robert Kariuki Kibochi EGH, CBS, ndc (K), psc (born 1959) |
22 September 2016 | 13 July 2018 | 1 year, 294 days | |
| 21 |  |
Lieutenant General Walter Koipaton Raria MGH, CBS, OGW, ndc (K), psc |
13 July 2018 | 20 July 2022 | 4 years, 7 days | |
| 22 |  |
Lieutenant General Peter Mbogo Njiru |
20 July 2022 | 8 march 2024 | 1 year, 351 days | |
| 23 |  |
Lieutenant General David Kimaiyo Chemwaina Tarus CBS ‘ndc’ (K) ‘cgsc’ (USA) ‘psc’ |
9 march 2024 | Incumbent | ||