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.
Ngatia said they were so far pleased with the removal of the debris and vowed to ensure the truth is known.
Justice Rawal said the public hearings are unlikely to start immediately as earlier anticipated because they are yet to record statements from witnesses and other parties.
She added the commission is yet to be allocated a secretary to start their work but added most of the required issues are in place for now.
“They have to collect statements from various parties before we start the hearings but we hope that will be done soonest possible and I promise a good job,” she said.
Justice Rawal is the chair of the commission and the assessors are Maj-Gen (Rtd) Harold Tangai, Maj (Rtd) Charles Muyehe Wandiri, Capt Peter Maranga and Mr Fredrick Aggrey Opot.
Assisting counsels for the team will include Charles Mutinda, Faith Irari of the AG’s office and James Mungai Warui of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions while Clatus Macowenga, the chief inspector of aircraft accidents will form part of the technical team with the foreigners.
The wreckage was loaded onto a lorry after a tractor dug a road through the forest almost 500 meters off the main road to pave way for the vehicle.
Aviation experts present had to mark all the parts of the plane before they allowed its loading onto the lorry.
The wreckage has been lying at the scene since June 10 when the chopper crashed moments after it took off from Wilson Airport.
Apart from Saitoti and Ojode, pilots captain Nancy Gitunja, captain Luke Oyugi and bodyguards Joshua Tonkei and Thomas Murimi were killed in the crash.
The chopper was headed for Ojode’s rural home in Homabay when it crashed less than 10 minutes after it took off.
Since then, speculations have been rife as to the possible cause of the crash with some MPs linking drug barons to the deaths.
The government announced the formation of the Commission Of Inquiry to investigate the incident.
Rawal has urged members of the public who may have information that will help them unravel the cause to come to the commission which will seat at the KICC.
