Al Jazeera :
Kenya’s military chief has died in a helicopter crash in the country’s northwest, President William Ruto says.
General Francis Ogolla and nine other people were killed in the crash at 2:20 pm (11:20 GMT) on Thursday in Elgeyo Marakwet County, about 400km (250 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi.
The military aircraft had been on a visit to troops deployed in northwest Kenya to combat cattle rustling and came down just minutes after taking off near Cheptulel Boys Secondary School in West Pokot County.
It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.
“Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals,” Ruto said at a news conference. “The demise of General Ogolla is a painful loss to me.”
Two soldiers survived the crash and were in hospital, the president said, adding that an air investigation team had been sent to find out the cause of the incident.
Ogolla was previously the head of the Kenyan air force before rising to deputy military chief and then being promoted by Ruto last year to head the military.
