Tragedy struck Saturday afternoon as Emurua Dikirr Member of Parliament Johana Ngeno and five others perished when their helicopter crashed and burst into flames in Chepkiep, Mosop Constituency, Nandi County.
The Airbus H125 aircraft went down around 4:00 p.m. amid thick mist that blanketed the area, severely reducing visibility. Witnesses say the pilot attempted an emergency landing before the chopper erupted in fire, leaving the wreckage engulfed in flames and the victims badly burned.
The ill-fated flight had departed Nairobi earlier in the day. After picking up passengers en route, the helicopter was returning to the capital when disaster struck. On board were MP Ngeno, his four aides, and the pilot.
Emergency response teams, including officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, rushed to the remote crash site. Nandi County police confirmed the six fatalities. A mobile phone belonging to the MP was among the items recovered from the scene.
Senator Samson Cherargei and Tinderet MP Julius Melly arrived at the location to assess the situation alongside investigators. The badly charred remains are being moved to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital morgue for identification and post-mortem examination.
Investigations into the cause of the crash—believed to be linked to the prevailing misty weather conditions—are already underway.
Johana Ngeno, 52, had represented Emurua Dikirr in Narok County since his first election in 2013. Re-elected in 2017 and again in 2022, he was widely known as a passionate advocate for infrastructure development, education, and justice in his constituency and across the wider Kalenjin community.
As of 8:00 p.m., Parliament had not issued an official statement on the loss of one of its members.
The incident marks yet another aviation tragedy involving Kenyan politicians and has renewed public concern about helicopter operations in the country’s challenging terrain and unpredictable weather. Authorities have promised a thorough and transparent probe to determine the exact sequence of events and prevent similar losses in the future.
