All survive as Kenya Forest Service helicopter crashes at Kericho golf club
Aircraft overturns on takeoff as environment PS and officials are pulled from wreckage
By Charity Mogesi
A Kenya Forest Service helicopter crashed yesterday at Kericho Golf Club during takeoff, overturning on the grass and sustaining extensive damage in an incident that left several people injured but, remarkably, no lives lost.
The green and white aircraft, registration 5Y-FSK, had barely gained altitude before losing lift and coming down heavily on its side within the club compound. The tail rotor and fuselage bore the brunt of the impact, and the aircraft was left in a badly damaged state. Witnesses described a scene of immediate panic as the helicopter went down, with bystanders and emergency personnel rushing toward the wreckage within seconds. Passengers were pulled clear before the situation could deteriorate further.
Police confirmed that all occupants survived, though several sustained injuries of varying severity and were rushed to South Rift Hospital for treatment. Among those on board was Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno, alongside other senior government officials whose identities had not been formally released at the time of publication. Some uncertainty persisted over the exact number of passengers, with police citing five occupants while separate accounts from the scene suggested there may have been six.
Preliminary assessments point to poor weather conditions as a contributing factor. Heavy rains had been reported across the Kericho area at the time of the incident, raising questions about whether the flight should have proceeded at all under such conditions. Authorities have since launched formal investigations to establish the precise cause of the crash, and a full report is expected in due course.
The incident at Kericho is the latest in a deeply troubling series of aviation accidents recorded in Kenya in recent months, following fatal crashes in Samburu and Kajiado West that claimed lives and drew widespread public concern. That no one perished yesterday is a relief that should not obscure the broader pattern now emerging.
Aviation authorities and relevant government agencies owe the public a transparent and urgent response. Grounding questions, safety audits and crew protocols must be examined without delay. The skies over Kenya must be made safer — and that work cannot wait.
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