French Aviation experts aid in crash probe

By Cyrus Ombati

Aviation experts from France have arrived in Kenya to help in investigating the helicopter crash that killed six people including Cabinet Minister George Saitoti and his assistant Orwa Ojode.

The officials are expected to visit the scene of the accident later on Monday as part of their investigations.

Officials said the experts have been sent by the manufacturer of the AS350B3e chopper, which was acquired by Kenya Police Air-Wing, which was the first in Africa to purchase the model.

Police are still guarding the scene of the incident. Ngong OCPD Hussein Farah said they deployed two teams of police to guard the scene overnight and on Monday.

The wreckage is yet to be removed from the scene and officials said the manufacturers had demanded that it be preserved until they arrive and inspect it.

The manufacturer of the aircraft, Eurocopter Southern Africa is a subsidiary of that of France, the main industry. The officials will also visit the Air Wing and interrogate the officials there as part of the investigations.

Reports say the chopper had done 240 hours since the police acquired it, with officers describing it as the most powerful of the entire fleet.

Even though Kenya Police was the first to acquire the model in Africa, an earlier variant of the helicopter has been in use by other police services in several countries including Angola, Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

The chopper went down in Kibiku area in Ngong Forest few moments after it had taken off from Wilson Airport and the cause of the crash remains a mystery.

The experts want to establish the maintenance of the chopper since it was assembled and started to fly in Kenya in February 2012.

It was assembled at the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters in February and serviced at the police hangar at the airport after which it was declared fit to fly.

Apart from Saitoti and Ojode the other victims included pilots Luke Oyugi and Nancy Gituanja and police officers Joshua Tonkei and Martin Murimi.

President Kibaki who has declared three days of national mourning is chairing a special Cabinet meeting at KICC which will be attended by assistant ministers to discuss the incident.