Kenya Airforce, DCI Land in West Pokot for Gen Ogolla Plane Crash Probe
A team from the Kenya Air Force and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrived at the location where Chief of Defense Forces Francis Ogolla and nine other officers died in a crash.
On Friday, Kenya Defense Forces detectives began examining the reason for the plane crash that claimed the lives of General Ogolla and nine others. Meanwhile, Kenyans were left wondering about the cause of the tragedy that impacted the nation.
The investigators reached the site of the helicopter crash in Sindar, Kaben in Marakwet East on Thursday at 10:40 am using a military helicopter and started examining the wreckage of the crashed aircraft.
They immediately sealed the scene and ordered members of the public and the media to keep off the area.“Move away from this area and wait for a briefing from our bosses at Department of Defense headquarters,” said one of the officers.
The quiet Sindar region, located on the border between West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet and often referred to as the Land of Peace for its role in uniting the conflict-prone Pokot and Marakwet communities, was placed under military watch.
“The land has been turned into a military camp following the plane crash. We however managed to rescue some of the injured officers before being told to keep off the area,” said Gregory Bowen, one of the residents.
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Since the plane crash on Thursday, military helicopters have been continuously landing in and departing from the dense forested area.
On Friday, three military helicopters arrived at the location while onlookers observed from afar.
The initial helicopter reached the location at approximately 10:40 am, with a second one arriving around noon. Four wounded officers were transported to Endo Mission Health Center for urgent first aid, but one officer died upon arrival.
The three individuals received care at the facility before being transported by a military helicopter to Nairobi.
“We received four of the survivors. One of them succumbed upon arrival at the hospital while another one had more than 90 percent burns.
“We treated them according to our ability before transferring them to a nearby school using our ambulance into awaiting chopper that airlifted them to Nairobi, “said Ann Koskei a clinical officer at the health center.
Ms. Kosgei stated that the victims were taken to the hospital around 3 pm on Thursday. Kaben Locational chief Kerionon Tarus expressed disappointment, noting that the event might hinder the government’s attempts to reestablish peace in the region.
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“The military officers have done a great job restoring peace and rebuilding schools and other infrastructures. This incident is likely to water down all those efforts,” said Chief Tarus.
Previous air investigations have not been very fruitful, raising concerns about how and why the recommended measures are not being put into practice.
In 2012, a plane crash resulted in the deaths of six people, including former Internal Security Cabinet Minister George Saitoti and Assistant Minister Orwa Ojode. In April 2006, a military aircraft carrying politicians, including Cabinet Minister Bonaya Godana, crashed in Marsabit, killing 14 people.
2002, Ahmed Khalif, who had been a Labour Cabinet Minister, lost his life in a plane crash in Busia. Similarly, Kipkalya Kones, a former Roads Minister, also passed away in a plane crash.
Although teams conduct investigations at accident sites and collect supplementary information from sources such as flight logs, maintenance records, and personal interviews, there seems to be minimal communication regarding the findings that could help avoid similar incidents in the future.
Kenya Airforce, DCI Land in West Pokot for Gen Ogolla Plane Crash Probe