The main takeaway from the tragic death of CDF General Francis Ogolla is a reminder of how fragile life can be, yet many take it for granted. When the general and everyone else boarded the helicopter, no one imagined it was their last day on Earth.
Accidents happen daily, everywhere, and many, if not most, are fatal. Why, then, is the nation gripped, and for a moment, the world seems to come to an end for many people when someone like the general dies?
Because men like him are not supposed to die in accidents.
That is not just a wish, but a phenomenon backed with facts and common sense.
Twenty-five years ago this April, former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown of the United States perished in a fatal plane crash in Dubrovnik, Croatia, that also claimed the lives of 32 other Americans, including 11 Commerce Department employees. Brown was leading a delegation of business executives to the former Yugoslavia to explore business opportunities to help rebuild the war-torn region and sought to make a meaningful difference in the Balkans.
There was no social media then, but rumours swirled everywhere, nonetheless, that Brown, then the highest-ranking African American in President Bill Clinton’s administration, was assassinated.
The Pentagon, the Justice Department, and the White House quickly countered the rumours to say the claim was completely without basis and reaffirmed that this was just another tragic accident that took all those souls.
Notwithstanding that strong assurance following a thorough investigation, the rumours lingered for years, and in some cases, you can still hear the same by those who simply cannot believe this rising star in the black community just happened to die in a plane accident far away from the United States.
There is a parallel between what happened to Brown and the tragic death of General Ogolla and his junior officers.
It would be an exercise in futility for one to speculate about what really happened to cause the helicopter to go down, taking the general’s life and that of the fellow gallant men and woman of the military.
However, it makes more sense to let there be a thorough investigation of what caused the accident and even more importantly, to rule out, objectively and openly with evidence, that there was no foul play.
Yes, the latter — proving objectively and conclusively that there was no foul play is a tall order and even with the best of investigations and evidence put forth, there are many who will still not believe it. Just as surely as you would find many today who just don’t believe the accident that killed Brown and others was just that — an accident.
As things stand now, everyone must be given the benefit of the doubt — and yes, that includes those who may have even hated the general for one bogus reason or another.
While it’s inevitable not everyone in the end will be satisfied with the outcome of the investigation already underway, how the investigation is conducted and how thorough and unimpeded the probe is will go a long way in calming many who may be inclined to believe the worst.
The corollary, of course, would be the nightmare the country cannot re-live.
We are way past that, as we should be. Let us grapple with the garden variety problems we are faced with, but not anything that would set us on a regressive path.
Meanwhile, something must be said about our military. Things were said about General Ogolla that should not have been said, as they cast the military in an unnecessary false light.
The Kenya Defence Forces is considered one of the world's strongest militaries and most disciplined. The Global Firepower Military, an online outlet that provides an analytical display of data concerning today’s world military powers, ranks Kenya at position 46 in the world and sixth in Africa.
Whatever happened in 2022 during Bomas nothing compared to this simple fact. He was unwillingly part of a delegation sent to the Tallying Centre to urge alternation of the presidential election results.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said, during Ogolla’s burial that past text messages showed General Ogolla was sent to Bomas of Kenya by senior members of the National Security Council.
Let the military be and none would know better than generals like [the late] General Ogolla.
May he Rest in Peace.