This archive report was first published on 13 July 2020.
A Kenya Defence Forces helicopter crashed in Machakos County on July 13, 2020, killing two people.
The helicopter, a Hughes 500MD, was on a training flight when it crashed in the general area of Kithyoko, Machakos County.
According to a statement by the Kenya Defence Forces, the two pilots on board were evacuated from the crash site.
The helicopter was one of six MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light attack helicopters purchased from the United States in January 2020.
The helicopters were handed over to the Kenya Defence Forces by U.S. Army Major General Michael Turello, commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), in a ceremony at Embakasi Barracks, Kenya, on January 23, 2020.
Kenya Defence Forces Chief, Gen. Samson Mwathethe, expressed appreciation for Kenya’s military partnership with the United States, saying that the helicopters were a tangible example of their joint commitment to the fight against terrorism.
U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter also praised the partnership, saying that the helicopters were emblematic of the decades-long security partnership between Kenya and the United States.
