TheCable

Francis Ogolla, Kenyan chief of defence forces, and nine members of the military have died in a helicopter crash in the western part of the country.

President William Ruto announced the tragic incident in a press briefing on Thursday.

Ruto said the crash happened on Thursday afternoon shortly after take-off, noting that two people survived the incident.

The Star, a local media, quoted witnesses as saying the chopper burst into flames after crashing.

Ruto said he was deeply saddened by the incident and announced that a team of investigators had been dispatched to the site of the crash to determine the cause of the accident.

The president said Ogolla had departed Nairobi, Kenya‘s capital city, to visit troops in the North Rift region of the country and to inspect ongoing school renovations.

“For me, as the commander in chief of the Kenya defence forces, it is a tragic moment for the Kenya defence forces fraternity and it is a most unfortunate day for the nation at large,” he said.

“Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals. We have also lost gallant officers, servicemen, and women.

“The demise of General Ogolla is a painful loss to me, and certainly, the sorrow we all feel about his passing is shared by all the people of Kenya.”

Ogolla, who was previously the head of the Kenyan Air Force, before rising to deputy military chief, was promoted by Ruto on April 28, 2023, to head the military.

The late defence chief joined the Kenya forces in 1984, where he trained as a fighter pilot with the United States Air Force .

He was also an instructor pilot at the Kenya Air Force (KAF).

Ruto declared three days of national mourning beginning on Friday.