A team from several government agencies is at the crash site of the helicopter that claimed the life of Chief of Defence Forces Francis Ogolla and other military officers.

The teams are searching for items belonging to the fallen officers as part of investigations into the crash.

The families of the crash victims had also requested items belonging to their departed loved ones.

Residents of the area were the first respondents at the accident scene.

Some of the locals are said to have stolen shoes, watches, and mobile phones, belonging to the KDF officers.

According to TV 47, traces of the mobile phones indicate they are being switched on and off within the area.

Ogolla’s family had also pleaded for his Bible which he carried everywhere with him.

The general’s daughter Lorna said her father read the Bible from cover to cover every year.

General Francis Ogolla was among the 10 officers who died in a KDF helicopter crash on Thursday, April 18 on the border between Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gichu counties.

The others included Captain Hillary Litali, Captain Sora Mohamed, Colonel Duncan Keitany, Senior Sergeant John Kinyua Mureithi, Sergeant Cliphonce Omondi, Major George Benson Magondu, Brigadier Swale Saidi and Sergeant Rose Nyawira.

Lorna Omondi Ogolla expressed her heartbreak after the death of her father Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla.

In a post on her LinkedIn account, she described her dad as a pursuer of excellence.

“My father. Pursuer of excellence. Most empathetic and effective leader and statesman just went down in chopper crash in West Pokot,”

“Doing what he did best for the better part of the last 40 years – trying to keep Kenya safe. One day I shall tell beautiful stories of how he taught with his actions and not with words. But today – I rush home to send him off to the great beyond,” Lorna said.

Here is a brief bio on Lorna Ogolla according to WoK.

Family life

Lorna has one brother, Joel Rabuku Omondi Ogolla and her mum is Aileen Ogolla.

Educational background 

Miss Ogolla did her secondary education at Kenya High School and later joined the highly-rated Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States.

With the International Gates Cambridge Scholarship, she pursued an MPhil in Management Science and Operations at the University of Cambridge in England.

Lorna has Masters’s Degree on Operations Specialization and Master’s degree in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.

Career

Lorna Ogolla has a remarkable career profile serving in senior management positions like Head of Operational Excellence, and DC Equipment Supply Chain at Google.

Before getting senior roles she started her career as a Research  Assistant at MIT’s Department of Economics.

She also worked as a Senior Lead in Supply Planning at Google Data Centers.

Her impressive career has seen her also hold analyst jobs at Charles River Associates and Greylock McKinnon Associates.

General Francis Ogolla and nine other senior KDF officers died in a tragic chopped crash at the Sindar area of Elgeyo Marakwet County on Thursday, April 18.