President William Ruto this confirmed in a news conference on Thursday.

Kenyas military chief, General Francis Ogolla has died in a helicopter crash in the countrys northwest.

President William Ruto this confirmed in a news conference on Thursday.

Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals, he said.

The demise of General Ogolla is a painful loss to me.

Ogolla and nine other people were killed in the crash at 2:20 pm (11:20 GMT) on Thursday in Elgeyo Marakwet County, about 400km (250 miles) northwest of the capital, Nairobi.

The military aircraft had been on a visit to troops deployed in northwest Kenya to combat cattle rustling and came down just minutes after taking off near Cheptulel Boys Secondary School in West Pokot County.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

According to Al Jazeera, two soldiers survived the crash and were in hospital, the president said, adding that an air investigation team had been sent to find out the cause of the incident.

Ogolla was previously the head of the Kenyan air force before rising to deputy military chief and then being promoted by Ruto last year to head the military.

When promoting Ogolla to the top military job a year ago, Ruto accused him of being part of a plot to overturn the result of the 2022 presidential election but said he was the best-qualified person for the job.

Ruto posted, Rest In Peace General on his X handle on Thursday.

The remains of the victims of the KDF chopper crash arrived in Nairobi on Thursday night and there were prayers for them.

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