The helicopter crash that claimed the life of General Francis Ogolla on April 18, 2024, continues to raise serious questions about the safety and maintenance standards of military aircraft in Kenya.
According to a report by Nation Africa, the engine of the Kenya Air Force helicopter had been overhauled just 128 days before the crash. This should have meant that the engine was in excellent condition, yet it failed in flight, killing Ogolla and nine other military officers.
The crash happened in Elgeyo Marakwet county, shortly after take-off, during a mission aimed at visiting troops in the North Rift under Operation Maliza Uhalifu. The incident shocked the nation, and President William Ruto declared three days of national mourning.
General Ogolla, who had been appointed Chief of Defence Forces in April 2023, was buried in Siaya with full military honors.
The findings of the investigation released by the Ministry of Defence on April 11, 2025, confirmed that the crash was caused by an engine malfunction, specifically a compressor stall.
The investigation ruled out pilot error, weight imbalance, or bad weather. Witnesses described a sudden power loss, a sharp left yaw, and a drop in engine RPM shortly after takeoff.
These signs point to a mechanical problem, and the report concluded that excessive heat inside the engine played a major role. However, what remains unclear is why an engine that had supposedly been serviced recently failed so quickly.
The Ministry of Defence has released full details of the overhaul, and this has created a lot of speculation. Aviation experts believe that if the overhaul was done properly, the engine should not have failed so soon.
This raises the possibility of poor maintenance work, faulty replacement parts, or undetected problems that were not fixed.
The helicopter in question, a Bell UH-1H-II Huey, is an older model, although it had been upgraded. Despite these upgrades, its history of accidents in Kenya and elsewhere makes people wonder if it is still suitable for such missions. The Kenya Air Force has since updated its safety procedures, but the questions about this particular crash remain.
Nation Africa reported that the engine parts were sent to Canada for further analysis, but a full report has not been made public. This delay has caused suspicion and frustration among the public and within military circles.
Some see the lack of transparency as a cover-up, while others believe the government is simply taking too long to share important findings. What adds to the concern is that this was not just any crash, it involved the highest-ranking military officer in the country, making it a matter of national importance.
The Bell Huey helicopters were received by the Kenya Air Force in 2016 and 2017 through a US security cooperation deal. Maintenance has been done through partnerships like the one signed in 2019 with Global Aerospace Logistics.
However, even with these partnerships in place, the crash shows that either the maintenance is not being done to the required standard, or deeper technical issues are not being addressed.
The helicopter’s last known engine overhaul happened in mid-December 2023, just 128 days before the crash. Experts say that a well-serviced engine should not experience such failure in such a short time. This has led to calls for an independent review of military aircraft maintenance practices in Kenya, especially for older aircraft like the Huey.
The fact that the helicopter was being used for such a high-level mission also raises the issue of whether it was the best aircraft available for the job.
Was the overhaul done properly? Were there any signs of engine trouble before the flight? Could the crash have been prevented? For now, the answers remain uncertain, and the mystery surrounding General Ogolla’s death remains unsolved.
