Nairobi [Kenya], April 19: Kenyan President William Ruto announced that the country's army chief, General Francis Ogolla, was one of 10 people killed when their military helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff on April 18.
"Our country has lost one of its bravest generals. General Ogolla's death is a great loss for me... An excellent four-star general died in the line of duty." and serve the country," Kenyan President Ruto emphasized in an announcement, according to Reuters.
President Ruto said the above helicopter crashed just a few minutes after leaving Cheptulel Boys High School in the West Pokot region, according to Reuters. Mr. Ruto added that two soldiers survived the accident, and an investigation team was dispatched to find out the cause.
Mr. Ruto announced that Kenya would observe three days of mourning from April 19 and fly flags at half-mast, while messages of condolence were sent from across the region.
Mr Ogolla served as head of the Kenyan Air Force, before being promoted to deputy army chief and last year promoted by President Ruto to army chief .
Mr. Ogolla joined the Kenya Defense Forces in 1984, where he trained as a fighter pilot with the US Air Force and as an instructor pilot in the Kenya Air Force (KAF).
The helicopter carrying Mr. Ogolla above was a Bell UH-1B helicopter, nicknamed " Huey ", developed in the 1950s and used by the US military in many wars, according to AFP.
This is the fifth military helicopter accident in Kenya within 12 months, due to old and poorly maintained helicopters, according to Kenyan press. In June 2021, at least 10 soldiers died when their helicopter crashed during an exercise south of Kenya's capital Nairobi.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
