A senior military official is among eight officers who were killed when a Kenya Defence Forces chopper crashed in Elgeyo Marakwet....CONTINUE READING
Also on board were other beuratic officers at the ministry. The Kenya Air Force Huey Helicopter had taken off from a local primary school when it went down and burst into flames.
Officials said Department of Defense headquarters said a statement would be issued on the same. The chopper is said to have been carrying 12 people including officers of the rank of General when it went down. Witnesses said it burst into flames on crashing.
There was only one survivor believed to be a photographer, other officers said. The area was cordoned off soon after the incident.
The officers were surveying the area ahead of planned deployment of more troops there to battle cattle rustlers. There was a somber mood at the DOD following the news of the crash.
It is the latest such incident to happen. Two Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) pilots were November last year admitted in hospital after their chopper crashed in Kisamis area, Kajiado West.
This is after a Kenya Air Force, Fennec helicopter hit a power cable as it flew to Nairobi. Officials said the incident happened on November 9 evening and was kept under the radar.
It was the second such Fennec helicopter to crash in four months. In July 2023, a similar chopper crashed in Chemolingot Stadium in Baringo County. The chopper was carrying officials who were part of the entourage accompanying Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale on a security tour of the volatile region.
KDF said the helicopter hit a tree and crashed during take-off. All persons onboard including government officials escaped unhurt.
“All passengers disembarked safely and are in stable condition,” said KDF. Officials have raised concerns over the rate of accidents involving military choppers and demanded an overhaul of the fleet.
On September 18, 2023 at least eight Kenya Defence Forces personnel died in a helicopter crash in Lamu County.
The cause of the crash is yet to be established. The Department of Defence headquarters said the Kenya Air Force Huey Helicopter crashed at night while on night patrol in Lamu County.
In 2021, a military chopper crashed in Oltepesi area, a few kilometres from Kisamis killing ten Kenya Air Force personnel while 13 others sustained injuries.
Investigations into the incidents are ongoing. The military rarely makes the findings public..<<CONTINUE READING>>
