MPs allege foul play in Kenyan chopper crash
http://www.africareview.com/News/MPs+allege+foul+play+in+Kenyan+chopper+crash/-/979180/1426524/-/qu3yog/-/index.htmlBy NATION Reporter
Posted Wednesday, June 13
2012 at 10:25
Four Kenyan MPs have alleged foul-play in the helicopter crash that killed Internal Security Minister George Saitoti, his assistant Joshua Orwa Ojodeh and four other government officials.
Addressing a news conference at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi, MPs Gideon Konchella (Kilgoris), Ephraim Maina (Mathira), Nkoidila ole Lankas (Narok South) and Raphael Letimalo (Samburu East) said the government should have a public inquest into the crash.
The families of the ministers, their bodyguards and the pilots should also be let to join the inquiry so that, when the results are released, they are convinced that it is a true reflection of the inquest, they said.
Mr Konchella said the inquest should be held to answer the questions that the public is asking about the helicopter crash.
“As far as we are concerned, there are more questions than answers. We’d want to know who serviced the aircraft, if it was serviced; what instruments are inbuilt in it?
The gaps
“Why was it flying so low? Why did it turn back when we all know that a helicopter can land anywhere? Was someone controlling the aircraft from somewhere else?” Mr Konchella posed.
The Kilgoris MP said that he flew with Prof Saitoti a few weeks back and he was told that pilots fly to Rironi to get the bearings to Bomet and Ndhiwa, and that there was no point of the helicopter going to Ngong.
Mr Maina, who owns a helicopter, said that the bits and pieces surrounding the helicopter crash did not add up.
Helicopter crash inquiry team sworn in
Posted Monday, July 2
2012 at 11:58
The commission, to be headed by Court of Appeal Judge Kalpana Rawal, was upgraded from a tribunal to a commission of inquiry to investigate the tragic crash.
The other commissioners sworn in were Maj Gen (Rtd) Harold Kangai, Capt Peter Maranga and Frederick Opot.
A fifth commissioner, Maj Gen (Rtd) Charles Wachira, was not sworn in on Monday as he was away on other duties.
Chief Inspector of Aviation Accidents Clatus MacOwenga will head the team providing technical assistance to the commission.
Speaking after the swearing in ceremony, Attorney General Githu Muigai said the government had decided to upgrade the tribunal to a commission of inquiry to broaden the scope of the investigating team and to ensure participation of all interested parties.
“We decided to upgrade to a commission of inquiry to cater for the issues that were being raised by the family and the helicopter manufactures and we are confident that we now have a good chance of getting to the bottom of this matter.
"We want to
discourage speculation and assure Kenyans that this commission has unlimited
powers to investigate and we hope it will shut down the rumour mills,” said the
Attorney General.
“ We have a preliminary report which we prepared after we begun investigations as a tribunal last week and we’ll take the legal steps to deter anyone causing unnecessary hindrance to the commission,” said Justice Rawal.
Following a request by the family lawyers of the deceased, the commission will tour the police air wing, where the commissioners and the lawyers will familiarize themselves with the site where the helicopter took off, and possibly inspect a Eurocopter helicopter if it is available.
On Tuesday morning, the members of the commission will oversee the retrieval of the wreckage from the crash site in the Ngong Forest.
Hearings are expected to start at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre on Wednesday .
Saitoti Family Claims Foul Play in Probe
Tuesday, 26 June 2012 15:19
The family’s lawyer Fred Ngatia said there appears to be interference in the investigation from unknown quarters because of what he termed as “unnecessary bureaucracies.”
“I don’t understand why it should take this long to carry out mapping and take away the debris from here,” he protested. “It appears there are instructions from somewhere to obstruct us from knowing the truth.”
He expressed fears that the debris which consist of material evidence at the site may end up deteriorating, if it is left at the scene for long.
“I am seeking a formal session with the team to raise these critical issues, we need to move forward,” he said, sharply differing with investigators and assessors at the crash site in Ngong where the plane debris is still lying.
He later walked away leaving assessors hired by the family and the investigators who were marking the debris to ascertain how the police helicopter crashed.
Some of the late Saitoti’s members, including his sister were at the scene and were at one time overcome by emotions as their lawyer engaged the investigators.
One of the assessors in the team Captain Peter Maranga told journalists they will start moving the debris once they are through with marking the site.
“At this stage, we are identifying various pieces where they are and making sure we have a good picture of the wreckage and that will help us understand how the aircraft actually landed,” he said, when prodded by journalists to brief them on the day’s activities.
“This wreckage is going to be removed and will be put and stored in some place securely until the investigation is complete,” he added but could not state when they will start removing it.
Last week, the probe chairperson Appellate judge Kalpana Rawal visited the site with her team members and announced that the debris will be moved to a secure place, possibly at the Moi Airbase, Eastleigh.
She had said the exercise of marking the debris was to be carried out on Friday last week for them to be moved on Saturday, but that did not happen.
Members of her team told the late Saitoti family on Tuesday that the delay in moving it from the site is partly blamed on the ministries of Defence and Transport which have failed to agree on a secure site.
The late Saitoti’s family is now worried about the cost of maintaining the two foreign assessors, in the event the delay prolongs even further because substantive investigations has not yet started, a week after the team was sworn in.
The probe team draws its membership from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), theAttorney General’s office and Directorate of Public Prosecutions office.
Assessors sitting in the team include Major Gen (rtd) Harold Tangai, Maj (rtd) Charles Muyehe Wandiri, Captain Peter Maranga and Aggrey Opot.
Assisting counsels are Charles Mutinda (AG’s office) Faith Irari (AG’s office) and James Mungai Warui of the DPP’s office. Clatus Macowenga, Chief Inspector of Aircraft Accidentswill serve in the technical team.
The team also comprising of French and South African aviation experts is mandated to investigate the cause of the helicopter crash that killed the late Internal Security Minister, his Assistant Orwa Ojode and four police officers.
The officers who perished in the crash include pilots Nancy Gituanja, Luke Oyugi as well as bodyguards Joshua Tonkei and Thomas Murimi.
They all perished when a police helicopter they were traveling in crashed at Kibiku area in Ngong forest as they headed to Ndhiwa for a church service and peace meeting along the troubled Borabu border.
Source: Capital FM
