Defence CS Aden Duale now says that the chopper that killed former Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla was unique and had special capabilities, including flying at night.
On Wednesday, Duale said it was an operational logistics helicopter that KDF officers used when going to difficult terrain and insecure areas.
The CS refuted claims that it was an old aircraft insisting he had personally used it several times, including other senior security officials in the country.
“The aircraft General Ogolla used, I used it several times, more than 15 times. Prof Kindiki used it, and the Inspector General of police used it. We mainly used it when we were going to operational areas. It is a very unique machine that can even fly at night. It’s an operational logistics Helicopter that our troops use in very difficult terrain and insecure areas," Duale told Citizen TV.
“We have a mix of equipment and the age of the equipment does not count much if that equipment gets the right service and spare parts. We have very robust men and women at the Kenya Air Force the way we have at our artillery, and infantry school whose day-to-day work is to make sure all sorts of equipment are serviced and up to date."
The CS said that investigations into the crash are ongoing and the President will soon make public the probe's outcome.
He, however, did not give the exact timelines on when the report will be made available to the public.
Following the death of General Ogolla and nine other officers on the ill-fated helicopter, President William Ruto said Kenya Air Force had constituted and dispatched an air investigation team to establish the cause of the air crash.
The team is yet to report on its findings.
