Kenya on three-day mourning after chief of staff death in helicopter crush

Kenya has declared a three-day mourning following a helicopter crush that killed chief of staff Francis Ogolla and nine other people on board.

Only two people survived the crash which occurred soon after take-off west of the country, President William 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.

Investigations are ongoing into the accident while the causes are not yet clear.

Gen. Ogolla, 61, was on a tour of the country’s troubled western region that has seen frequent attacks by local bandits.

Political controversy surrounded Ogolla even before his appointment, when he was accused by the country’s electoral commission chairperson as being part of a national security council delegation that tried to influence the outcome of the 2022 general election against President Ruto.