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CDF Francis Ogolla’s family honours his wish after death

President William Ruto shakes hands with Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Francis Ogolla at the State House in Nairobi on April 29, 2023. (Photo: PCS)

By Mary Wambui | 19 Apr 2024

General Ogolla died in a helicopter crash in the Sindar area of Elgeyo Marakwet on Thursday afternoon.

The late Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Francis Ogolla will be buried within 72 hours after his death.

Ogolla will be buried in Siaya County on Sunday, April 21, 2024. His family disclosed that this was among the general’s wishes before he departed.

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"The wishes of the late general must be honoured and I think the military will not have any problems respecting that, as well as the wishes of the family," former Defence Minister Eugene Wamalwa explained in an interview on Citizen TV.

By his ranking in the military and country, General Ogolla's final rites will be accorded national honours under the guidance of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

Already, the country has kicked off three days of national mourning and flying flags at half mast in honour of the decorated military man.

President William Ruto asked the nation to join him in mourning General Ogolla, as the Kenya Air Force continues with investigations into his death.

General Ogolla died in a helicopter crash in the Sindar area of Elgeyo Marakwet on Thursday afternoon after a work tour of the banditry-prone North Rift region.

His shocking death happened barely days after he led soldiers in conducting their physical readiness test at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Lang'ata.

He was scheduled to attend his father's centenary celebrations in Alego Usonga, Siaya County, tomorrow, ahead of a church event on Sunday.

Together with him in the crash were eleven other gallant military personnel, nine of whom also passed on and two survivors.

The fallen soldiers included Brigadier Swale Saidi, Colonel Duncan Keittany, Lieutenant Colonel David Sawe, Major George Benson Magondu, Captain Sora Mohamed, Captain Hillary Litali, Senior Sergeant John Kinyua Mureithi, Sergeant Cliphonce Omondi, and Sergeant Rose Nyawira.

Sergeant Nyawira was a bubbly member of the Strategic Communications Unit personnel attached to the CDF, alongside Sergeant Frankford Mogire, who survived the crash.

Major Magodu was the Kenya Air Force Huey Helicopter's pilot, while Brigadier Saidi was in charge of the illiteracy-eradicating project that has seen KDF build schools and renovate those bandits that had previously run down.

The renovations were part of the ongoing security operation to flush out bandits (Operation Maliza Uhalifu).

The project is part of the entire security Marshall plan for the six counties in the North Rift that will see schools built as others are rehabilitated and expanded into model Nomadic Peace boarding schools that admit pupils from warring communities to foster co-existence.

CDF Ogolla was scheduled to inspect the ongoing renovations at Chesitet Primary School, Cheptulel Boys High School, Chepoton Primary School, Ksaa Primary School, and Sablimoi Primary School and present a status report of the ongoing projects to the President.

Two soldiers who survived the crash are continuing to recuperate after they were airlifted from the accident scene for treatment.

President William Ruto is today expected to view the bodies of the deceased at the Defence Forces Memorial Hospital ahead of their release for burial.