General Francis Ogolla: From Fighter Pilot to Chief of Defence Forces
Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) Helicopter carrying Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla on Thursday, April 18 crashed at the Kaben-Cheptulel border between Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties.
The chopper was reportedly carrying nine people at the time it went down.
According to police, five occupants died while three survived.
The survivors were airlifted by a military chopper to hospital.
WoK has compiled a brief biography of the decorated General.
Ogolla joined the military on April 24, 1984, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant on May 6, 1985.
He was posted to the Kenya Air Force and began his military career as a fighter pilot.
He trained as a fighter pilot and an instructor pilot with the United States Air Force and also received training in other areas, such as imagery intelligence, counter-terrorism, and accident investigation.
Educational background
He holds a Diploma in International Studies and Military Science from Egerton University, a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Armed Conflict, and Peace Studies (First Class Honours), and a Master of Arts degree in International Studies from the University of Nairobi.
He also attended the École Militaire de Paris and the National Defence College of Kenya.
Family life
The general is married to Aileen and has two children.
Hussein Mohamed
Abdikarim Hussein Mohamed is a seasoned digital journalist with nearly 8 years of experience, he has worked at Iqra FM, and TUKO among others. He is passionate about football, tennis and YouTube. More from this author →
