By Brian Okoth
Kenya's Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Francis Ogolla and nine other soldiers died in a helicopter crash at Sindar in Kenya's northwestern county of Elgeyo-Marakwet on Thursday.
Two out of 12 occupants survived the crash, and are receiving treatment.
President William Ruto announced that an investigation into the fatal crash has begun.
Those who died have been identified as General Ogolla, Brigadier Swale Saidi, Colonel Duncan Keittany, Lieutenant-Colonel David Sawe, Major George Benson Magondu, Captain Sora Mohamed, Captain Hillary Litali, Senior Sergeant John Kinyua Mureithi, Sergeant Cliphonce Omondi, and Sergeant Rose Nyawira.
'Great sadness'
"This is a moment of great sadness for myself, as the Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, the Kenya Defence Forces fraternity and the nation at large," Ruto said in a televised address on Thursday.
"Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals, gallant officers, service men and woman.
"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, and especially the KDF fraternity. A distinguished four-star general has fallen in the course of duty, and service to country," Ruto added.
Kenya will observe a three-day period of national mourning, with flags in the country flown at half-mast.
On official duty
Ruto said the soldiers, who left Nairobi on Thursday morning, were on official duty, when the crash happened.
Francis Ogolla, a former Kenya Air Force commander, was appointed Kenya's Chief of Defence Forces on April 28, 2023 by President Ruto.
Until then, Ogolla was Vice-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. He joined the Kenya Defence Forces in April 1984.
He trained as a fighter-pilot and later as an instructor-pilot at the Kenya Air Force. He also had training in imagery intelligence, counter-terrorism, and accident investigation.
Education
He held a Master's Degree in International Studies from the University of Nairobi, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the same university. Ogolla had also received military training in Paris, France.
He got promoted to the rank of major-general by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and subsequently appointed the Commander of the Kenya Air Force on July 15, 2018.
Ogolla, who died at the age of 62, is survived by a widow Aileen Ogolla, with whom he has two children, and a grandson. His hobbies were reading and playing golf.
In May 2023, President Ruto said in an interview on national television that he appointed Ogolla the Chief of Defence Forces despite Ogolla allegedly attempting to "overturn" his election win.
Rotation
Ruto ran against veteran politician Raila Odinga in the August 9, 2022 presidential election, and won by a slim margin.
Odinga had been endorsed by Kenyatta, and when he lost the election, it was alleged that senior leaders, including Ogolla, had attempted to coerce the electoral board to call the election in favour Odinga, or force a rerun.
In the East African nation, the Chief of Defence Forces is selected among the senior-most officers in the respective military units – the army, the navy and the air force.
This means that if a navy chief is appointed the CDF this time, it would be the air force's or army's turn next time to produce the CDF.
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