Bodies of 10 senior military officers arrive at Embakasi Garisson
The bodies were wrapped in Kenyan flags and placed outside the hangar where the senior officials stood.
The body of General Francis Ogolla, who served as the Chief of Defence Forces, and nine other senior military officers arrived at Embakasi Garrison on Thursday night.
The ten perished in the afternoon after the chopper they were in crashed at the Kaben-Cheptulel border between Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties. Only two survived.
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Other people killed in the crash include Brigadier Suale Saidi, Colonel Duncan Keitan, Lieutenant Colonel David Sawe, Major George Benson Magodu (pilot), Captain Sorah Mohamed, Captain Hilary Litary, Snr Sgt John Kinya Muriithi, Sgt Cliffonce Muriithi and Sgt Rose Nyawira.
Defence CS Aden Duale, together with other senior military officials, arrived at Embakasi to receive the bodies.
At the Garisson, a sombre atmosphere enveloped the surroundings as the bodies were received.
Senior military officers led by Vice Chief of Defence Forces Lt General Charles Muriu Kahariri stood in solemn high regard, their expressions reflecting the gravity of the moment.
The airbase, typically bustling with activity, was now hushed, with a visible sense of mourning permeating the air.
The bodies were wrapped in Kenyan flags and placed outside the hangar, where the senior officials stood.
Military chaplains were also present to receive the bodies. They recited words of prayer in turns as the crowd remained silent.
The bodies were later loaded into ambulances as preparations for funerals began.
Bodies of senior military officials who perished in a chopper crash. (Screengrab)
President William Ruto said the country has lost one of her most valiant generals, gallant officers, servicemen, and
woman.
"This is a moment of great sadness for myself, as the Commander in Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, the Kenya Defence Forces fraternity and the nation at large... The demise of General Ogolla is a painful loss to me, and certainly, the sorrow we all feel about his passing is shared by all the people of Kenya, and especially the KDF fraternity," he said.
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