Environment PS Festus Ng’eno breaks silence after surviving Kericho helicopter crash

Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno was among five individuals injured when a Kenya Forest Service (KFS) helicopter crashed during take-off at the Kericho Golf Club on Monday. The aircraft, bearing registration number 5Y-FSK, came to a devastating end near Famous Hotel in Kericho County, leaving the helicopter severely damaged.

Kericho County Police Commander Kivindu Kilonzo reported that several occupants sustained injuries and were promptly transported to the hospital in stable condition. At the time of the initial police assessment, no fatalities had been confirmed. Images from the crash site depicted the wreckage scattered across a grassy field, with the helicopter's tail section having detached from the main body, highlighting the gravity of the incident.

Emergency responders and security personnel were immediately dispatched to the scene as authorities launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to the crash. The cause of the accident had not been determined by the time of the report, and further investigations were anticipated to shed light on what went wrong during the take-off.

This particular incident joins a growing list of aviation accidents in Kenya, including two fatal crashes in August 2026 that claimed nine lives. In one of those incidents, a helicopter crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, striking a rock formation before bursting into flames. A month later, a light training aircraft operated by the Kenya School of Flying crashed in Kajiado West Sub-County, resulting in the deaths of a student pilot and a flight instructor.

Poor visibility due to heavy morning mist was cited as a potential contributing factor in that crash. The Kericho incident is likely to prompt further scrutiny into aviation safety, particularly the safety of aircraft operations and the necessity for formal investigations to ascertain the causes of accidents. Authorities were expected to provide additional details on the condition of the injured occupants and the specifics surrounding the crash as the investigation progressed.