Kenya Military helicopter crash kills Kenya’s defence chief, 9 other top brass

April 20, 2024

Kenya Military helicopter crash kills Kenya’s defence chief, 9 other top brass

Kenya Military Chief, General Francis Omondi Ogolla, has died in a helicopter crash in the northwest of the country. Along with him, 11 other military personnel were onboard the chopper. While nine of the officers also passed away, two managed to survive.

• Helicopter crashed and caught fire in a remote area near the border with Uganda, killing 10 people on board
• It is unclear what caused the crash, which occurred as the military delegation had been visiting soldiers

Kenyan President William Ruto has declared three days of national mourning. He also called Ogolla’s demise his “personal loss” and hailed the military chief for his nearly 40 years of service. Ogolla was appointed the Chief of Defence Forces in April last year.

He also served as the top military adviser to the president. The Kenyan Air Force has launched a probe into the incident to discover the cause of the crash.

Meanwhile, Kenyan media reported that this was the fifth chopper crash in the country in the last 12 months.