Kenya’s military chief, General Francis Ogolla, has reportedly died in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest.
This was confirmed by President William Ruto in a news conference on Thursday.
“Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals,” he said.
“The demise of General Ogolla is a painful loss to me,” he added.
Ogolla and nine other people were killed in the crash at 2:20 pm (11:20 GMT) on Thursday in Elgeyo Marakwet County, about 400km (250 miles) northwest of the country’s capital, Nairobi.
The military aircraft had paid a visit to troops deployed in northwest Kenya to combat cattle rustling and came down just minutes after taking off near Cheptulel Boys Secondary School in West Pokot County.
At the time of filing this report, it was not immediately clear what caused the crash.
According to a news report, two soldiers survived the crash and were in the hospital, the president said, adding that an air investigation team had been sent to find out the cause of the incident.
Ogolla was previously the head of the Kenyan Air Force before rising to deputy military chief and then being promoted by Ruto last year to head the military.
Ruto accused Ogolla of being part of a scheme to change the results of the 2022 presidential election when he promoted him to the top military position a year ago, but he insisted that he was the best candidate for the post.
Ruto posted “Rest in Peace General” on his X handle on Thursday.
The remains of the victims of the KDF aircraft crash arrived in Nairobi on Thursday night, and there were prayers for them.
