Five people, including Kenya’s Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno, survived a helicopter crash at Kericho Golf Club on Monday, October 12, after the aircraft came down while attempting to take off.
Rift Valley Regional Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi said officials rushed all five occupants to South Rift Hospital for medical assessment and reported them to be in safe condition.
The crash occurred within the golf club compound, prompting an emergency response and drawing public attention. Preliminary information suggested that poor weather may have contributed to the incident, although the exact cause had not been officially established.
Golf courses are sometimes used as temporary helicopter landing and takeoff sites because their open grounds provide space away from buildings and other obstacles. However, it was not immediately clear why the aircraft was operating from Kericho Golf Club.
The incident comes amid several fatal helicopter crashes reported in Kenya this year. On February 28, a helicopter crashed in Tabolwa, Nandi County, killing all six people on board, including Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno. On August 19, another helicopter crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, killing seven occupants.
Investigations into the earlier crashes were ongoing, according to preliminary reports released by Kenya’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Department. The cause of the Kericho crash had not been confirmed by the time of publication.
