The late Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla during a past function at State House, Nairobi. Photo: Handout

Kenya has received the first batch of Vietnam-era military helicopters promised by the US during the recent state visit of Kenyan President William Ruto, despite the pending military probe into a similar chopper accident that resulted in the death of Kenya’s top general.

Earlier this month, two UH-1 Huey military helicopters arrived in the country and are currently being assembled by a specialized team of US Air Force technicians at the Embakasi Garrison hangar in Nairobi.

The helicopters will undergo extensive testing before their official deployment with the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).

An additional six Hueys are expected to arrive in Kenya next month.

Once operational, these helicopters are anticipated to enhance Kenya’s counter-terrorism and peacekeeping capabilities.

The delivery comes in the wake of a tragic incident involving a Huey chopper that killed former Kenya’s four-star General Francis Ogolla and several other military officers in Elgeyo Marakwet.

President Ruto ordered a military probe into the accident, but visited the US weeks later, where Washington committed to donating more helicopters.

These Hueys, decommissioned from the American military and other countries, have been involved in several fatal accidents in Kenya, claiming the lives of service members.

A senior military source informed Kenyan Foreign Policy (KFP) that such investigations are typically lengthy, involving multiple parties, including regulatory agencies, forensic labs, military experts, and government officials, to identify the root causes and contributing factors of the air accident.

The investigation process entails collecting evidence, analyzing and investigating, and documenting and reporting, which can take months, if not years. In the military, an air crash is a multifaceted disaster.

It results in the loss of lives, leaves families and the nation in mourning, tarnishes reputations, calls into question the air safety protocols of the entire defence force, and can implicate aircraft manufacturers.

It remains unclear why the Kenyan President and his security advisors agreed to accept the helicopter donation, which some military sources have dubbed as junk, even before the Military Board of Inquiry released its findings.