The helicopter accident that caused the death of the Kenyan armies chief and nine other high officers in April 2024 was caused by an engine failure, according to a report from the Ministry of Defense published on Friday, April 11.
The crash had taken place on April 18, 2024 in a remote region in the northwest of the country, killing General Francis Omondi Ogolla, the head of the Kenya Defense Forces. The Air Force had sent a team of investigators to establish the causes of the drama, which occurred in the county of Elgeyo Marakwet, some 400 km northwest of the capital Nairobi. A common investigation carried out by military experts and the Air Force concluded that the Huey Kaf 1501 helicopter ” crashed due to an engine failure« .
The investigators, who interviewed 12 people, including three witnesses and two survivors, explain that “shortly after his departure”, the helicopter “crushed on a community farm (…), and caught fire immediately during the impact”. A witness on the ground reported a “strong detonation” before the accident, then the engine “experienced a total loss of power,” said the report. The document specifies that the helicopter had undergone 300 hours of inspections between June 2021 and October 2023, and that during two “advanced inspections, no major anomaly had been identified”.
The last inspection had taken place between April 2 and 4, 2024. The investigation dismissed any responsibility of the two pilots. Kenya is one of the rare States of Africa whose institutions are trying to put itself above the fray in major public affairs and arousing controversy. Whether in political matters as in corruption.
© Afriquinfos & Agency France-Presse
