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       ARTICLE VIEW: 
       
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       Kenyan military chief dies in helicopter crash, says president
       
       By Larry Madowo and Catherine Nicholls, CNN
       
       Updated: 
       
       3:10 PM EDT, Thu April 18, 2024
       
       Source: CNN
       
       Kenya’s military chief, Francis Ogolla, died in a helicopter crash in
       the western part of the country on Thursday, President William Ruto
       announced in a televised address.
       
       The helicopter crashed shortly after take-off on Thursday afternoon
       local time, killing Ogolla and nine other members of the military, Ruto
       said. Two people survived the crash, he added.
       
       “I am deeply saddened to announce the passing on of General Francis
       Omondi Ogolla, the Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces,” he said.
       
       A team of investigators has been dispatched to the site of the crash in
       Elgeyo Marakwet County to determine the cause of the accident, Ruto
       said.
       
       Ogolla departed Nairobi on Thursday to visit troops in the North Rift
       region of the country and to inspect ongoing school renovations, the
       president said.
       
       Following the crash, Ruto convened an urgent meeting of the country’s
       National Security Council in Nairobi, according to presidential
       spokesperson Hussein Mohamed.
       
       “For me, as the Commander in Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, it is
       a tragic moment for the Kenya Defence Forces fraternity and it is a
       most unfortunate day for the nation at large,” Ruto said.
       
       “Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals. We have
       also lost gallant officers, servicemen, and women,” he added.
       
       Kenya will observe three days of mourning beginning on Friday, Ruto
       said.
       
       According to state broadcaster Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC),
       Ogolla is the first Kenyan military chief to die in active service. The
       general joined the Kenya Defence Forces in 1984, becoming 2nd
       Lieutenant in 1985 before being posted to the Kenya Air Force,
       according to the Ministry of Defence website.
       
       This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
       
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