By Cyrus Ombati
The wreckage of the chopper that killed Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, his deputy Orwa Ojode and four others will be flown to the US and France for forensic analysis to establish the cause of the crash.
The commission inquiring into the crash revealed the tests will include those aimed at establishing if the helicopter was brought down by a bomb or other causes.
Court of Appeal judge Kalpana Rawal said Kenya lacks the capacity to carry out some of the technical tests hence the need to fly out some of the debris for analysis.
“The bomb experts are here to help collect debris that will be tested to rule out or confirm the cause of the crash. We do not want to leave anything out,” she said in reference to the presence of bomb experts from Bomb Disposal Unit.
Officers from the unit were at the scene of the crash to collect samples that will be flow out for tests.
The judge made the remarks when she and other commissioners oversaw the removal of the wreckage of chopper from Kibiku area, Ngong Forest where the plane crashed on June 10.
The wreckage was loaded onto a lorry and driven to the Kenya Police Air Wing at Wilson Airport where it will be stored.
The place where the parts of the burnt chopper will be stored will be under lock and key before some of the debris are picked up and taken to the US and France for tests.
On Thursday, lawyers representing the families of those who perished in the crash were also present as the wreckage was being removed.
Police said they did not find one of the missing pistols that belonged to one of the two bodyguards who perished in the crash.
Saitoti’s two brothers and lawyer Fred Ngatia were present from the beginning to the end and made sure the debris were driven out of the place for safe custody, three weeks after the incident happened.
