The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) held a memorial service on Thursday, April 17, in honour of General Francis Ogolla and soldiers who were killed in the 2024 chopper crash.
In his speech, Chief of the Defence Forces, General Charles Kahariri, noted that the celebrations were a reflection of the commitment of men and women in uniform.
According to a statement by the military, Kahariri expressed support and gratitude for the families.
Additionally, the KDF boss also spoke on social media comments that were made regarding the incident, highlighting that most users were uninformed and lacked compassion.
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"He added that we live in a harsh world, one where social media often becomes a platform for uninformed commentary, spoken without understanding or compassion," read the statement in part.
“I urge you to pray for those who act out of ignorance, and for the lives affected by their actions. With prayer, God can transform even the hardest of hearts,” Kahariri added.
KDF was marking one year after the death of Ogolla and other servicemen who died in a helicopter crash on April 18, 2024, in Sindar, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The memorial was held days after the investigative team released a report which attributed the accident to engine failure.
"The Helicopter suffered an engine compressor stall (surge), which is consistent with the witness report of a loud bang at the Engine compartment and the Measured Gas Temperature (MGT) gauge, which, when powered, displayed an Over-Exceedance of 914 °C.
"The Helicopter then experienced a Complete Power Loss, which was followed by a left yaw, drop in Engine RPM, low RPM audio alarm and change in engine noise, as narrated by witnesses on the ground and accident scene reconstruction," read the report in part.
