The Kenyan government sent a team to investigate the helicopter crash that killed military chief General Francis Ogolla and nine other people.
It was not immediately clear what caused the accident.
Gen. Ogolla was among the 12 occupants of the military plane that crashed on Thursday afternoon, shortly after taking off in the northwest of the country.
The bodies of those who died were transported to Nairobi and the two survivors are being treated in hospital.
The four-star general will be buried on Sunday at his home in western Siaya County, his family said.
Announcing three days of national mourning, President William Ruto said the deaths were a “moment of great sadness” for the country.
Gen Ogolla was appointed Chief of the Kenya Defense Forces in April last year.
Ruto described his chief military adviser as a gallant officer who died in the line of duty.
“Our homeland has lost one of its bravest generals, brave officers, soldiers and women,” Ruto told the nation.
Gen Ogolla first joined the Kenya Defense Forces on April 24, 1984, according to the Kenyan Ministry of Defense website.
He was supposed to celebrate 40 years in the military next week.
He began his career as a second lieutenant in the country’s Air Force, where he trained as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force, the ministry says. The late general also trained in imagery intelligence, counterterrorism and accident investigation.
In 2018, he became commander of the Air Force.
In an interview last May, Mr Ruto said he appointed Gen Ogolla as army chief “against the advice of many people”. The president said Gen Ogolla was among a group that tried to influence the results of the 2022 presidential elections.
This is the first time that a Kenyan military chief has died in office. Gen Ogolla was supposed to retire next year.
The other nine killed in the crash were named as Brig Swale Saidi, Col Duncan Keittany, Lt Col David Sawe, Maj George Benson Magondu, Capt Sora Mohamed, Capt Hillary Litali, Snr Sgt John Kinyua Mureithi, Sgt Cliphonce Omondi and Sgt Rose Nyawira.
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga described the accident as a “terrible day for Kenya”.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission, said his “thoughts and prayers” were with the president, government and people of Kenya following the “tragic helicopter crash”.
The officers traveled to Kenya’s North Rift region, which has been plagued by banditry.
They were on a mission to reopen some of the schools closed after bandit attacks. They also visited military officials deployed to stabilize the region.
In June 2021, at least 10 soldiers died when their helicopter crashed while landing near the capital, Nairobi.
