Kenya began three days of national mourning on Friday after the death of its army chief and nine senior military officials in a helicopter crash. Aged 61, Francis Omondi Ogolla was appointed head of the armed forces on April 29, 2023 by President William Ruto.
The helicopter crashed early Thursday afternoon in the remote Sindar area of Elgeyo Marakwet County, about 400 km from Nairobi. It was the fifth military helicopter accident in 12 months, with the aircraft often being old and poorly maintained. In June 2021, at least 10 soldiers were killed when their helicopter crashed during a training exercise south of NairoBI. The Air Force dispatched a team of investigators to establish the causes of the accident. According to President Ruto, the top brass were on board a Bell UH-1B helicopter, an aircraft developed in the 1950s and widely used by the US military during the Vietnam War.