Six people, including Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng’eno, died in a helicopter crash in Chepkiep Forest, Mosop Sub-County, Nandi County, on Saturday, 28 February 2026. The aircraft, an Airbus H125 registered 5Y-DSB, burst into flames after hitting the ground in a densely forested area. Videos from the scene showed thick smoke and charred wreckage. Local residents rushed to the site but found no survivors.
The crash occurred shortly after Ng’eno had attended an event in Endebess. Authorities confirmed the deaths of all six people on board, including the pilot George Were, Kenya Forest Service officer Amos Kipngetich Rotich, journalist Nick Kosgei, and teacher Mwalimu Carlos Keter. The sixth passenger has also been identified but not publicly named.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua condemned the tragedy and called for a thorough investigation into the crash, highlighting Ng’eno’s role as a key leader in the Kipsigis community. Speaking in Nyahururu shortly after the news broke, he said:
“Tumepata habari ya kwamba mjumbe wa Emurua Dikirr, pale Kipsigis, Johana Ng’eno, ameaga dunia, kwa ajali ya helicopter. Sisi tunataka kujua uchunguzi kamili, kwa sababu tunajua huyu kiongozi, amekuwa na pingamizi kali, pale kwa Kipsigis kwa sababu amekuwa Kingpin ya Wakipsigis. We want to call for a very thorough investigation into the helicopter crash that has killed the honourable Johana Ng’eno.”
Gachagua urged a minute of silence in Ng’eno’s honor and later posted on X (formerly Twitter) expressing his grief: “Hon Ng’eno was my very great friend who faced threats and intimidation as he was forced to hound me out of office. We remained the best of friends up to his death. I call for thorough and speedy investigations into the cause of the crash that must be made public.”
Several other leaders also mourned Ng’eno, including Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo Mabona, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya, and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who praised him as a dedicated servant leader and a committed parliamentarian.
Ng’eno, born in 1972, rose from humble beginnings in the Rift Valley. His father rustled cattle, and during the 1994 famine, the family moved to Molo. As a child, he walked up to 50 kilometres daily with 16 donkeys carrying maize and charcoal to sell.
He attended Mogondo Primary School and Maseno School, later earning a BA in International Law from Kyiv TSN University, an LLB from Mount Kenya University, and a Master’s in International Studies from the University of Nairobi.
Ng’eno entered politics in 2007, contesting the Kilgoris seat. He won the newly created Emurua Dikirr seat in 2013 and retained it in 2017 and 2022. In Parliament, he chaired the Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works Committee. On the ground, he funded road projects, provided bursaries, and supplied school buses to improve education. The community recognized him as a Kipsigis elder and spokesperson.
His death has sent shockwaves through the Kalenjin community and the nation, with many describing the loss as both personal and political. Authorities have vowed to investigate the circumstances of the crash fully.
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