This archive report was first published on 21 October 2019.
It has been two years since a helicopter crashed into Lake Nakuru, killing five people on board. The incident has left the families of two of the victims, Samuel Gitau and John Ndirangu, in a state of trauma.
On October 21, 2017, the Flex Air Charters helicopter, carrying Gitau, Ndirangu, Veronicah Muthoni, Anthony Kipyegon, and pilot Apollo Malowa, crashed into the lake. While the bodies of three of the victims were recovered, those of Gitau and Ndirangu have never been found.
According to Margaret Wairimu, Gitau's mother, the search and rescue mission has been a source of pain and uncertainty for the family. 'Was the search and rescue mission at fault? Is my son alive or is his body lying somewhere,' she poses.
Wairimu's concerns are shared by Florence Nyambura, Ndirangu's mother, who is still holding onto the hope that her son might be alive. 'Did my son truly die in the helicopter crash? What is the indication, yet I have not seen his body?' she posed.
The families of the victims have been left in the dark, with little information shared by the authorities. Monicah Chepkurui, Anthony's mother, believes that the Government should have shared a full report about the crash with families of the victims.
According to aircraft investigator Mathias Ombasa, a preliminary report on the crash was forwarded to France, where the helicopter was manufactured, two weeks ago and would be released to the public later.
Richard Tutah, a security expert, attributed the main challenge in recovery of bodies and the debris of the helicopter to the lack of clear command.
