A year on, mystery of General Ogolla’s plane crash remains unresolved

The tragic incident left Kenyans demanding answers on how a CDF, one of the most guarded persons in Kenya, would meet their demise from an aircraft accident. 

During Ogolla's memorial service, President William Ruto vowed that no stone would be left unturned in unearthing the truth behind the fatal plane crash.

The president also promised that the results of the probe would be availed to the public, another pledge added to his bag of promises. One year later, no details about the crash have been revealed. 

Where is the report? Why has it taken so long? These are some of the questions lingering in Kenyans' minds over the accident. 

The former CDF was among 12 occupants who boarded a helicopter KAF 1501, operated by the 53rd Helicopter Squadron, that went down shortly after take-off in Elgeyo Marakwet County. 

Ogolla and nine other officers died while two survivors, nursing severe injuries, were hospitalised. President Ruto announced the news later that night, describing him as a gallant officer who died in the line of duty. 

"Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals, gallant officers, service men and women," he said. 

Following the tragic accident, President Ruto convened an urgent meeting of the National Security Council at State House. 

The Council comprises the president, the deputy president, Cabinet secretaries for defence, foreign affairs and internal security, the Attorney General, the National Intelligence Service Director-General and the Police Inspector-General. 

Subsequently, Lieutenant General John Omenda (current Vice CDF) appointed a Kenya Airforce team to probe the incident and make the report public. 

"I have full confidence in KDF. They are our foremost professional entity in Kenya therefore I have full confidence that General Omenda and the team he has appointed to make sure that all details are laid bare on the accident that took away the life of General Ogolla," Ruto said during the memorial service in Siaya County on April 21, 2024. 

Other political leaders joined the fray in calling for the investigation process to be expedited. 

“When an accident occurs, it’s a security issue. There are security concerns which deserve an answer for the nation. We look forward to a speedy investigation,”  People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua said. 

The two survivors, alongside air force pilots who previously flew the helicopter, were questioned about the accident.

In May 2024, then-Defence CS Aden Duale said that the team probing the crash was in the United States of America, confirming that the wreckage of the helicopter was taken to the manufacturer, Bell Textron Inc. to determine the cause of the crash. 

"Our team is in the US, once all the information is collected and collated a recommendation and observation is given to us, and we will tell the country whether it was mechanical or anything else. I can tell you without any contradiction as the Commander-in-Chief promised the country, we will avail a detailed report," Duale said.

As of today, the government has yet to release the report, raising questions over the delays in probing the accident. 

In a bid to shed light on the matter, Nelson Koech, the chair Defence for Foreign Relations and Intelligence Committee, explained that a Canadian company tasked with probing the incident had delayed the report. 

"I'm told there's a delay from the Canadian company to analyse the wreckage and bring the report. As is the public, we are interested in the details as he was my friend," Koech said on Citizen TV's Daybreak on April 1, 2025. 

"There hasn't been a conclusion whatsoever. It is a question that we all need to ask as a country because there has to be an account of what happened to Ogolla and nine officers."

The country now waits to see whether the government will honour its commitment or this will turn out to be another broken promise as par for the course.