Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i received the injured officers at the Wilson Airport in Nairobi.
The six police officers who survived a helicopter crash at Kaithe in Meru County have since been airlifted to Nairobi. Eastern Region Security Committee, including Regional Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru, Regional Police Commander Lydia Rigami, Regional Criminal Investigations Commander Jonah Kirui and Regional Head of National Intelligence Service (NIS) Gilbert Magut, were aboard the chopper headed for Marsabit alongside two pilots when it came down minutes after take-off in Embu. The chopper was being flown by Inspector Peter Kemboi, assisted by co-pilot Jacinta Akorot. Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i received the injured officers at the Wilson Airport in Nairobi.
The team was headed to Sololo, Marsabit County, for a security meeting when their chopper, an Agusta Westland AW119, which is among the new fleet acquired by the police, came down in misty weather. Meru County Police Commander Patrick Lumumba said the chopper had crashed due to bad weather at 8am in Kaithe village on the outskirts of Meru town. Those aboard the aircraft were first taken to Meru Level Five Hospital and later transferred to Nairobi. A source at Meru Level 5 Hospital said the injured had general body pains and were subjected to x-rays before arrangements were made to airlift them to Nairobi. Airwing Commandant Col (Rtd) Rodgers Mbithi said he and the pilot in the ill-fated chopper had left Wilson airport, Nairobi in the morning with two choppers heading for the meeting. “I have talked to the pilot and he, with the others who were on board are ok. Stable,” he said.
Mbithi was flying to Garissa and Wajir to pick his team. The crashed chopper, a single-engine AW119, is among the new ones recently bought for the service. The pilot first made an emergency landing in Murang’a because of bad weather before proceeding. He had left Wilson Airport at about 6.45am. While receiving the officers at the airport today, Matiang'i warned that the Government will arrest politicians accused of fanning ethnic clashes in the region. “We are not going to be merciful. It is time we changed our approach to the security matters in this region,” Matiangi said.
The six police officers who survived a helicopter crash at Kaithe in Meru County have since been airlifted to Nairobi. Eastern Region Security Committee, including Regional Commissioner Isaiah Nakoru, Regional Police Commander Lydia Rigami, Regional Criminal Investigations Commander Jonah Kirui and Regional Head of National Intelligence Service (NIS) Gilbert Magut, were aboard the chopper headed for Marsabit alongside two pilots when it came down minutes after take-off in Embu. The chopper was being flown by Inspector Peter Kemboi, assisted by co-pilot Jacinta Akorot. Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i received the injured officers at the Wilson Airport in Nairobi.
The team was headed to Sololo, Marsabit County, for a security meeting when their chopper, an Agusta Westland AW119, which is among the new fleet acquired by the police, came down in misty weather. Meru County Police Commander Patrick Lumumba said the chopper had crashed due to bad weather at 8am in Kaithe village on the outskirts of Meru town. Those aboard the aircraft were first taken to Meru Level Five Hospital and later transferred to Nairobi. A source at Meru Level 5 Hospital said the injured had general body pains and were subjected to x-rays before arrangements were made to airlift them to Nairobi. Airwing Commandant Col (Rtd) Rodgers Mbithi said he and the pilot in the ill-fated chopper had left Wilson airport, Nairobi in the morning with two choppers heading for the meeting. “I have talked to the pilot and he, with the others who were on board are ok. Stable,” he said.
Mbithi was flying to Garissa and Wajir to pick his team. The crashed chopper, a single-engine AW119, is among the new ones recently bought for the service. The pilot first made an emergency landing in Murang’a because of bad weather before proceeding. He had left Wilson Airport at about 6.45am. While receiving the officers at the airport today, Matiang'i warned that the Government will arrest politicians accused of fanning ethnic clashes in the region. “We are not going to be merciful. It is time we changed our approach to the security matters in this region,” Matiangi said.