A military chopper carrying Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla and other senior military officials crashed at the Kaben-Cheptulel border between Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties on Thursday afternoon.
Reports indicate that the helicopter was carrying 12 people, including officers of the rank of General, at the time of the crash.
Among the reported dead is the Chief of Defense Forces boss General Francis Ogolla.
Also onboard was the Operations Manager at Kenya Air Force, Captain Mohammed Karro Sora.
The Department of Defense headquarters stated that a formal statement regarding the incident would be released soon.
The Kenya Air Force Huey Helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from a local primary school, igniting into flames upon impact.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the helicopter burst into flames upon crashing.
It was the first chopper to take off before it went down. There were two other helicopters in the mission that were yet to take off at the time of the crash.
Only one person, believed to be a photographer, is believed to have survived the crash, according to other officers on the scene.
The area surrounding the crash site was immediately cordoned off following the incident.
The officers aboard the helicopter were conducting a survey of the area in preparation for the deployment of additional troops to combat cattle rustlers.
General Ogolla was appointed last year by President William Ruto to replace General Robert Kariuki Kibochi whose tenure came to an end. Ogolla comes from the Air Force wing of the Kenya Defense Force.
He will either be replaced by Lt. General Muriu, the Vice Chief of Defense Forces (VCDF), or General Jimson Mutai of the National Defense University – Kenya. Both Muriu and Mutai are from the Kenya Navy wing of the Kenya Defense Forces.
In related news, the official government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura has urged Kenyans to remain calm after news of the chopper crash started circulating. He has said that an official statement will be issued soon.
More to follow…
