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Kenya has announced that its top military chief, General Francis Ogolla, has died in an army helicopter crash. 

President William Ruto confirmed that General Ogolla was among ten fatalities following a crash just minutes after their helicopter took off from the Cheptulel Boys Secondary School in West Pokot County. The group was returning from a mission addressing cattle stealing in northwest Kenya. According to the government, two soldiers survived and are currently receiving medical care.

Kenyan President Ruto said, “Our motherland has lost one of her most valiant generals. The demise of General Ogolla is a painful loss to me… A distinguished four-star general has fallen in the course of duty, and service to country.” The General, a well-known figure in the Kenyan military, had served as the head of the air force before President Ruto himself promoted him to the top military position last year.

General Ogolla’s military career began in 1984, training as a fighter pilot with the United States Air Force and later as an instructor at the Kenya Air Force. His promotion last year was not without controversy, as Ruto had implicated him in an alleged plot to overturn the 2022 presidential election results despite declaring him the best candidate for the military’s top job.

According to the government, an investigation team is on-site to determine the cause of the crash.