President William Ruto has said that he received the news of the death of Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla with a heavy heart.
The President described Ogolla as a passionate leader who strived to deliver on his mandate.
Speaking on Friday when he visited his home, Ruto added that he is proud of himself for appointing General Ogolla.
"The bad news came and it took me a while but then I asked Defence CS Aden Duale to please call somebody on the ground and he told me there was a major and a brigadier on the ground and I wanted to speak to them because it was not easy to believe that General Ogolla was gone, " he said.
"When I was told that he was on the line and the subject was about a plane crash, and the plane was carrying the CDF and other military officers, I took the phone and told Duale, please don't tell me negative news."
According to the President, Ogolla deserved the appointment because he was a professional and a leader.
Ruto said that within the short period, Ogolla was the Chief of Defence Forces, he made a huge difference.
"From where I sit with the amount of information I get, General Ogalla made a very big difference in his leadership, the fact that he could reach out to all actors, the synergy he had built with the police and all the other arms was just on a different level," he added.
The President praised him for his efforts to reduce the cases of terrorist incidences, saying that he was smart and he knew what to do.
Ruto said that Ogolla could call him in the middle of the night to brief and get clearance on matters on the ground.
Ogolla and nine other military officers died on Thursday after a military chopper crashed at Kaben in Tot subcounty in Marakwet East.
The KDF boss, 61, is set to be buried at his home in Mor, Alego in Siaya on Sunday, April 21.
The family revealed that the burial comes early as per Ogolla's wishes in his Will that he be buried within 72 hours of his death.
The burial will be preceded by a memorial service at his local church in Nduru, the family said.
Ogolla is survived by a widow and two children. He has also left behind a daughter-in-law and a grandson.
Born on February 12, 1962, Ogolla was enlisted into KDF as an officer cadet on May 2, 1984.
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on May 3, 1985, and posted to Moi Airbase where he trained as a pilot.
During his career in the KDF, Ogolla held several command, staff and instructional positions.
He was the Commanding Officer of Laikipia Air Base Tactical Flight Wing in 2007 and also the Base Commander of Laikipia Air Base from 2008 to 2014.
Upon promotion to the rank of Brigadier on April 10, 2012, General Ogolla was appointed the Deputy Air Force Commander and later promoted to Major General on July 13, 2018 and appointed Commander of Kenya Air Force.