Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Wednesday reassured families of six helicopter crash victims that the Kenyan government will provide comprehensive support in the aftermath of the tragedy that struck Mosop, Nandi County last weekend.
He stressed that the administration will work with county leadership to ensure that each family’s needs are addressed and no one is left behind.
Kindiki opened the service by outlining the scale of the loss, noting that Kenya had lost “a law maker, a representative of a people and a lawyer,” referring to Hon. Johana Kipyegon Ng’eno, the Member of Parliament for Emurua Dikirr Constituency, who died in the crash.
Also among the deceased was Captain George Were, the pilot of the ill-fated Eurocopter AS350 helicopter, a seasoned aviator who had served as a military pilot before flying civilian missions.
The crash claimed five other lives, Amos Kipngetich Rotich, an officer with the Kenya Forest Service devoted to environmental protection, Nick Kosgey, a journalist and photojournalist, Robert Kipkoech Keter, a newly employed teacher who had just begun his career and Wycliffe Kiprotich Rono, a protocol officer with the Narok County government.
Kindiki said he had heard moving tributes from family members describing the victims as “all good men, everyone doing something for our country, contributing to our country’s progress,” emphasising the breadth of their service across fields.
Invoking religious comfort, the Deputy President referenced the Bible’s message that “blessed are those who die in the Lord because they rest from the labors of this world, and their good deeds follow them,” and said the nation should be proud of the contributions made by those lost.
He also updated attendees on government actions taken to support bereaved families. He said President William Ruto had already reached out to relatives and would attend Friday’s funeral service.
In his absence at the mass, Kindiki asked Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu of Narok County to deliver the president’s condolences.
The Deputy President said he had listened carefully to the various requests for support from the six families and pledged that, on behalf of the government, those needs “are going to be done as requested.”
He explained that Governor Ntutu would coordinate with families to compile their requests, which would then be taken up with national authorities for action.
He highlighted the government’s commitment not just to immediate relief but also to longer-term support, including helping families find alternative income or support where a primary breadwinner has been lost.
He cited examples such as a widowed mother left with many children and a young officer who had been protecting the MP.
The plane crash, which occurred on February 28,2026, when the helicopter encountered heavy mist and poor visibility shortly after an attempted emergency landing, has prompted renewed calls for aviation safety reviews in Kenya.
All six occupants died when the aircraft hit trees and burst into flames in the Chepkiep area of Mosop.
Ng’eno, 53, was serving his third term as MP and was a member of Parliament’s Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works Committee, widely recognised for his active role in national affairs.
His leadership and larger-than-life personality were recalled during the service by both political associates and members of the community who attended.
Kindiki also spoke personally about his relationship with Ng’eno, noting that while they disagreed at times on methods, they shared a vision for uplifting the people of Emurua Dikirr and Kenya.
He recounted recent events with the late MP and suggested that Ng’eno’s public support for national leadership stood as a testament to his commitment to the country.
As families and the nation prepare for individual burial rites in the coming days, Kindiki’s address sought to blend mourning with assurances of collective responsibility and unity, calling on Kenyans to honour the memories of the six by working together to prevent future such tragedies.
