Kenyan Armed Forces Chief Francis Ogolla died in a helicopter crash along with eight other people. The president of the country has announced three days of national mourning. The cause of the accident is still unknown, the authorities are investigating
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The head of the Kenyan Armed Forces, General Francis Ogolla, is died in a helicopter crash in the west of the country. She declared it Thursday Kenyan President William Rutoannouncing three days of national mourning.
The helicopter was carrying eleven people, including Ogolla, when it crashed and caught fire in a remote area near the Ugandan border on Thursday. Nine people on board died, the president said.
It is unclear what caused the accident.
Army chief for a year, the accusations regarding the elections
General Ogolla, 61 years old, was traveling in the troubled western region of the country, which has suffered frequent attacks by local bandits. He was appointed head of the Kenya Defense Forces in April last year, following the retirement of General Robert Kibochi.
Political controversies had engulfed Ogolla even before his appointment. He had been accused by the president of the country’s electoral commission of being part of a delegation from the National Security Council tried to influence the outcome of the 2022 general elections against President Ruto.
Ruto then explained that he had called General Ogolla before his appointment and said that despite the electoral controversy, he was the best qualified for the job.
Ogolla joined the Kenyan military forces forty years ago. He graduated from the Ecole Militaire de Paris, the National Defense College of Kenya, Egerton University and the University of Nairobi.
General Ogolla is survived by his wife Aileen, two children and a grandchild.
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