The wife of Emily Were has recalled the sad moment she learned about her husband's tragic death on February 28.
Lt. Col. (Rtd) George Were was the captain controlling the Eurocopter 350 (5YDSB) owned by Corporate Helicopters, and which was ferrying Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno and four others.
The chopper tumbled into a forest in Mosop, Nandi County, killing all the occupants on the spot.
During George's funeral in Nyakach, Kisumu County, on Saturday, March 14, his widow said it was a tough moment to learn about his death via social media.
Her efforts to reach out to her husband's employer did not succeed, worsening the anxiety she had already developed.
Read More
"I learned about my husband's death via social media. I had the phone in my hand, and I started seeing the news. I tried to call Corporate Helicopters, and they were devastated. They could not pick up the phone," she recounted.
Her worst fears were getting confirmed with every second.
Emily explained that she knew about the toll the sad news would take on her children, and went ahead to call them, perhaps to prepare them psychologically.
"When I realised it, my first instinct was to call my children. Because of the way social media is, they were going to see it within the next ten minutes or so. I tasked one of my sons to call the other children," she said.
Corporate Helicopters would later call her to confirm the sad news.
She said that by the time the company was reaching out to her, she had already accepted the sad reality.
Meanwhile, Emily revealed President William Ruto's efforts in getting her children from abroad amid the tension in the Middle East.
She explained that Ruto and his deputy, Kithure Kindiki, organised the tickets for their children to fly back.
Emily thanked the head of state for intervening and helping them in their time of grief.
Were's send-off came a week after that of the other victims.
Ngeno was laid to rest in his Mogondo home in Emurua Dikirr, Narok County, on March 6.
Others were Nick Kosgey, Carlos Keter and Amos Rotich.
