Military helicopter crashes in Kenya, defense chief dies

• April, 19 2024 à 04:15
• JC Dorsainvil
• Politique
• 0 Comments

Kenya's defense chief and nine other top commanders died Thursday in a military helicopter crash in a remote area of the country, President William Ruto said.
“Today at 2:20 pm, our nation suffered a tragic plane crash… I am deeply saddened to announce the passing away of General Francis Omondi Ogolla, Chief of the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF),” Ruto told reporters.
The president, who had called an urgent meeting of the National Security Council after news of the crash emerged, said nine other “brave servicemen” on board also died and two survived.
Ogolla, 61, a trained fighter pilot, had only been on the job for a year, but would soon complete 40 years of military service.
Ruto said the Kenya Air Force had sent an investigation team to establish the cause of the crash, which took place in Elgeyo Marakwet county, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi.
Ogolla's helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from the village of Chesegon, where he and his entourage had been visiting a school after making stops in other areas to see Kenyan troops and elsewhere.
– ‘Distinguished four-star general’ –
Ruto announced three days of mourning starting Friday, with official flags flying at half-mast, while messages of condolence were sent from across the region.
“A distinguished four-star general has fallen in the line of duty and his service to the country,” Ruto said.
“Our country has lost one of its bravest generals, brave officers, service men and women.”
The bodies of the victims, wrapped in Kenyan flags, were returned to Nairobi on an air force plane on Thursday night, according to images shared by the presidency.
Kenyan media reports said this was the fifth military helicopter crash in 12 months, with the plane claimed to be old and in poor condition.
In June 2021, at least 10 soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed during a training exercise south of Nairobi.
Ruto said Ogolla had left Nairobi on Thursday morning in a “Huey” helicopter to visit troops in the North Rift area deployed as part of Operation Maliza Uhalifu (Operation Stop Crime in Swahili).
Kenyan authorities have long battled insecurity in the North Rift region, which is marked by armed bandits and cattle rustlers.
The Bell UH-1B helicopter, nicknamed “Huey,” was developed in the 1950s and widely used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
– “Significant loss for the nation” –
Ogolla, a married father of two, was appointed Chief of the Defense Forces by Ruto in April last year, a position he also holds as the president's top military advisor.
Under Kenyan military rules, the defense chief normally retires at age 62 or after four years in office, whichever comes first.
Ruto told reporters last May that he appointed Ogolla despite being among those who tried to overturn his narrow election victory against opposition leader Raila Odinga in 2022.
“When I looked at his resume, he was the best person to be a general,” Ruto said.
Ogolla joined the KDF in April 1984, rising through the ranks to command the Kenya Air Force in 2018, a position he held for three years before becoming deputy chief of defense forces in 2021.
Ruto's predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta said Ogolla's death was a “significant loss to the nation”.
“The CDF was not only an accomplished military leader, but also a devoted patriot who dedicated his life to serving and protecting our beloved country.”
Messages of condolence were also sent by, among others, the African Union, the regional grouping IGAD and the embassies of the United States, Great Britain and the EU in Kenya.
“This loss is felt not only by Kenya but also by the entire region,” IGAD Secretary General Workneh Gebeyehu said in X.