Emurua Dikirr Member of Parliament Johana Ng’eno is among the six individuals killed in a helicopter crash at 4.45 pm in Mosop, Nandi County.
The news was confirmed by Nandi police while National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula announced it in an official notification.
Consequently, the Speaker has appointed a team led by the Member for Tinderet Constituency, Julius Melly, assisted by Mugambi Rindikiri and eight other Members, to coordinate the funeral arrangements.
“On behalf of the House, the Parliamentary Service Commission and on my own behalf, I convey our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of the late Hon. Ng’eno and the families of the other passengers whose lives we have also lost”, the Speaker said.
His mobile phone and SIM card were recovered at the scene. Similar gadgets belonging to Amos Kipngetich Rotich, an officer with the Kenya Forest Service (KFS), have also been recovered.
The identities of the five other individuals on board are not yet known.
In what would turn out to be his final Facebook post, the MP said he had visited Mara Rianta to console two families who lost their sons after they were swept away by the raging waters of the Mara River on Sunday night. The post also included a video of him aboard the ill-fated chopper (5Y-DSB) allegedly owned by the owner of Royal Media.
“ This morning I joined the families of the late Snr Chief ole Rurumo and Ole Kipembeu and the search and rescue team at Mara Rianta to stand in solidarity while trying to locate and retrieve the bodies of two young men whose vehicle was swept away by the raging waters of the Mara River on Sunday night,” he posted Saturday.
The tragedy is said to have occurred at Mara Rianta when the two young men, residents of Kirindon in Kimintet Ward, attempted to cross the river with their vehicle.
The raging waters overwhelmed the vehicle, leaving the two men stranded and prompting an urgent rescue operation.
Condolences have begun pouring in, with several leaders describing him as a great man.
The late Hon. Johana Ng’eno was serving his third consecutive term in Parliament, having first been elected in 2013.
Until his untimely demise, heserved with distinction as the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works and also a Member of the Liaison Committee.
In the 12th Parliament, he served as a Member of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee.
