Deceased Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla’s daughter mourned her dad following his death on Thursday, April 18.
In a post on LinkedIn, Lorna Omondi Ogolla remembered her dad as an empathetic and effective statesman who was dedicated to keep Kenya safe.
Ogolla died after a military chopper they were flying in crashed at the Kaben-Cheptulel border between Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties.
The Kenya Air Force Huey Helicopter had taken off from a local primary school when it went down and burst into flames.
“My father. Pursuer of excellence. Most empathetic and effective leader and statesman just went down in chooper crash in West Pokot doing what he did best for the better part of the last 40 years,” Lorna wrote on LinkedIn.
She went ahead to add, “One day I shall tell beautiful stories of how he taught with his actions and not his words but today, I rush home to send him off to the great beyond.”
President William Ruto promoted Ogolla to the rank of General and appointed him Chief of the Defence Forces (CDF) on April 28, 2023.
Subsequently, his swearing in ceremony and investiture of ranks was held on Saturday April 29, 2023 at State House, Nairobi.
Prior to his appointment as CDF, Ogolla served as vice chief of the defense forces prior
He enlisted in the Kenya Defense Forces on April 24, 1984, and on May 6, 1985, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the Kenya Air Force.
Ogolla trained as a fighter pilot with the USAF and as an instructor pilot with the Kenya Air Force (KAF).
He received training in a variety of other disciplines, such as counterterrorism, accident investigation and image intelligence.
Ogolla advanced through the ranks to become a Major General, and on July 15, 2018, he was named Kenya Air Force Commander, a position he has held for three years.
His prior positions in training, command and staff included those of deputy commander of the Kenya Air Force and base commander of Laikipia Air Base.
Ogolla also served as commanding officer of the Tactical Fighter Wing, Chief Flying Instructor at the Kenya Air Force Flying Training School and Operations Desk Officer at Kenya Air Force Headquarters.
In addition, from 1992 to 1993, he worked in the former Yugoslavia as an observer and military information officer.
From 1994 to 2004, Ogolla led the Military Christian Fellowship, and from 2018 to 2019, he co-led the Association of African Air Chiefs.
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