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President William Ruto has received the official report on the tragic helicopter crash that claimed the life of Kenya’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Francis Ogolla, along with nine other military officers.
The report was presented to the President on Friday by Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya during a closed-door meeting at State House, Nairobi.
According to the findings, the fatal crash was caused by an engine malfunction. “Consequently, Kenya Air Force has updated and reviewed its Standard Operating Procedures to avert future occurrence,” the report stated.
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General Ogolla died alongside Brigadier Swale Saidi, the Commander of the Combat Engineers Brigade; Colonel Duncan Keittany, Colonel Operations at Defence Headquarters; and Lieutenant Colonel David Sawe, Staff Officer for Infrastructure.
Also killed in the crash were Major George Benson Magondu and Captain Sora Mohamed, both serving as pilots, Captain Hillary Litali, who was Ogolla’s Aide-de-Camp, Senior Sergeant John Kinyua Mureithi, Flight Technician, Sergeant Cliphonce Omondi from Ogolla’s security detail, and Sergeant Rose Nyawira, who served as his media officer.
Present during the presentation of the findings were top military officials including Chief of Defence Forces General Charles Kahariri, Vice CDF Lieutenant-General John Omenda, and Kenya Air Force Commander Major-General Fatuma Ahmed.
The tragic crash shocked the nation and prompted widespread tributes from both government leaders and ordinary Kenyans. The latest report is expected to provide some closure while also informing necessary reforms in military aviation protocols.
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