Kenya’s Defense Chief, Francis Omondi Ogola, tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash on Thursday. Along with him, nine others on board the helicopter also lost their lives. President William Ruto confirmed the incident. He stated that Kenya’s Defense Chief and nine other senior officials lost their lives in a military helicopter crash in a remote area of the country.
Ruto told reporters, “At 2:20 pm today, our country faced a tragic air accident… It is with deep sorrow that I announce the demise of Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) Chief General Francis Omondi Ogola.”
Following the news of the accident
The President convened an immediate meeting of the National Security Council. During this meeting, he announced that along with the Defense Chief, nine other “brave soldiers” were also killed, while two survived.
It’s worth mentioning that Ogola, aged 61, was a seasoned combat pilot
He had been in this position for only a year, but he was about to complete 40 years of his military service soon.
Ruto mentioned that the Kenya Air Force had dispatched an investigation team to establish the cause of the accident, which occurred approximately 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Ogola’s helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from Chesagon village, where he and his team were conducting a tour of a school after stopping at various locations to inspect Kenyan troops and other sites.