Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua continues to suspect foul play in the death of Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno.
Ng’eno perished in a chopper crash in Nandi County on Saturday, February 28.
He was en route to Narok from Trans Nzoia when the aircraft, a Eurocopter 350 (5Y-DSB), tumbled into Chepkiep Forest in Nandi North, killing all six occupants on board.
Speaking at a church service in Nyandarua County on Sunday, March 1, Gachagua suggested that the cause of the crash was not a natural one.
This was despite eyewitnesses at the crash site attributing the accident to bad weather.
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He claimed that Ng’eno had acquired many enemies after showing potential as the go-to leader of the Kipsigis sub-tribe of the larger Kalenjin community.
Gachagua, who said he had been close to Ng’eno, mentioned Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot as those who had opposed the late lawmaker.
"He had been under a lot of siege from Murkomen and Cheruiyot trying to suppress his ambition to be the leader of the Kipsigis community. The Kipsigis people have had many challenges. Any time a leader has emerged to lead, the community has faced challenges. We don’t want to say anything, but we want to call for thorough investigations for truth to be known," he said.
He asserted that the investigations could not be fair if Murkomen continued to hold his post as Interior CS.
According to him, the deceased politician’s family and Kenyans would be satisfied if the probe were carried out by independent and foreign agencies.
Gachagua suggested the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the United Kingdom’s Scotland Yard to investigate the crash.
"Murkomen can’t be CS Interior and the family of Ng’eno and other Kenyans expect fair and transparent investigations, because Murkomen has been fighting Ng’eno. We want to ask Ruto to ask Murkomen to step aside. Otherwise, we ask that we get Scotland Yard or the FBI to carry out an independent investigation into the air crash that caused the demise of Johana Ng’eno," he said.
The DCP leader's remarks came after the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) announced the start of investigations into the deadly helicopter crash.
In a statement issued on Saturday, February 28, the authority confirmed that it had set in motion the required procedures to facilitate inquiries into the circumstances of the accident.
The probe would be carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID).
“KCAA has initiated the necessary procedures to support the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAID). Further details will be provided as more verified information becomes available,” KCAA stated.
Additionally, KCAA conveyed heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones impacted by the tragedy.
