Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has insisted that the death of former Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla was not accidental.
In an interview on Sunday, December 21, Kalonzo said he maintains the position that Ogolla was deliberately taken out, questioning why the Commander of the Kenya Defence Forces would be flown in an old aircraft to inspect a school project in an area affected by banditry.
"I maintain General Ogolla was taken out. Because how do you fly commander of the Kenya Defence Forces in an 80-year-old aircraft to go and inspect a primary school, which was under construction in a bandit invested area?" he posed.
Kalonzo added that the KDF is a highly professional institution and warned President William Ruto against interfering with the Tonje rules, which govern military succession.
"We have a very professional army. Indeed, I hold the view that please William Ruto, mess around with everything else, but don't mess around with Tonje rules, which governs succession in the military. Of course, I know the attempts to do certain things," he added.
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This comes months after Kalonzo demanded the constitution of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate the chopper crash that killed Ogolla.
Speaking at the party headquarters on Thursday, April 24, Kalonzo expressed reservations over the crash and the investigations that were conducted by the security forces.
According to the opposition leader, Ogolla was among the most protected people, therefore, the crash indicated that there was criminal negligence.
"There are two people in Kenya who are given extraordinary protection. The first person is the President (William Ruto), and the second person is the CDF. You don't play with those people.
"Bringing down a plane of a CDF is not only negligence but also criminal negligence. You cannot give any excuse for that. That is why we still demand an independent commission of inquiry to know what happened to him," he demanded.
Kalonzo added that he was ready to go to the police and ask questions if summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
"People are saying that I should go to the DCI and make a statement. Tell him (DCI boss) to issue me with the summons. We shall all go there. We shall ask basic questions because it is not the work of the CDF to go and inspect schools," he added.
Earlier April, the Kenya Defence Forces published a report that attributed the crash to engine failure.
"Dependent on information from the survivors, after experiencing complete power loss, the Pilots of KAF 1501 attempted to control the Helicopter to a clear landing zone but lost positive control of the aircraft.
"Based on facts and evidence gathered, and indicated in the findings above, the Board of Inquiry is of the opinion that the Bell UH-1H-II (Huey) Helicopter KAF 1501 crashed due to engine malfunction," the report read in part.
