It is clear from the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the crash that killed former Vice-President George Saitoti and five others that several key institutions connected to the Kenya Police are in dire need of reforms. The workings of the service’s air-wing, its investigative units and its forensics arms have faced harsh criticisms after incredible failings in both their day-to-day operations and their handling of preliminary investigations into the crash, despite the subjects being the leaders of security apparatus.
The recommendations for changes to these institutions should be taken seriously, especially as they are almost certainly repeated from previous air accident investigations. With a better managed air wing, a real accident investigation unit, better equipped and co-ordinated coroner services and smarter policing, such accidents can be avoided or, when they happen, their causes properly identified to the satisfaction of a suspicious public.
We applaud President Uhuru Kenyatta administration’s prompt release of the report, just hours after a letter from the Ombudsman calling for the same and less than ten days after coming into office. This is despite the unflattering picture of the police service painted by the report.
Due to failures in the investigation, the mystery of how Captain Luke Oyugi got such a high concentration of carbon monoxide in his body, despite there being no evidence of an inflight fire, will likely never be known. This sort of uncertainty can and should be avoided.
