The helicopter crash that killed six people in Nandi County included lawmaker Johana Ng’eno, Kenyan police said Saturday, prompting condolences from the country’s Parliament leadership and raising questions about what caused the flight to go down shortly after takeoff.
Police chief Samuel Mukuusi said the helicopter crashed in a hilly area of the county, burst into flames, and went down minutes after takeoff, according to the police statement. Mukuusi said all six people on board died. He also said authorities had begun investigating the cause of the crash.
Parliament Speaker Moses Wetang’ula eulogized Ng’eno following the death, describing him as a “devoted legislator and a committed servant of the people.” The AP report said the 54-year-old lawmaker was serving his third term and was re-elected in 2022 on a ruling party ticket.
The AP story also said Kenya’s civil aviation authority had not commented on the incident at the time of the report.