The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
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Mama Emily Were, widow of Captain George Were, has shared the heartbreak of discovering her husband’s death through social media, an experience she described as deeply traumatic and difficult to process.
George Were was piloting a helicopter that crashed in Nandi County on 28 February 2026, killing six people, including Johana Ng’eno, the MP for Emurua Dikirr.
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Speaking at her husband’s burial on Saturday, Emily recounted the moment she confronted the devastating news.
“I had my phone in hand when I began seeing the news,” she said. “When I realised it was him, my first instinct was to call my children because, with social media, they would see it within minutes.”
She instructed her son, Sammy, to contact his brother Joseph, who was especially close to their father. Emily intended to call her daughter Stacy, but Joseph had already broken the news.
“When I called Stacy, she was upset she had heard it from her brother and didn’t speak to me for two days,” Emily said. Standing alongside Stacy, she added, her voice trembling, “…But Mama, I believe we are now good; you understand why that happened.”
Her grief was mirrored in her daughter’s silent sobs, a reflection of profound sorrow.
Emily described her late husband as a man devoted to family and peace. “Our children used to call him Mpenda Amani, meaning ‘one who loves peace,’” she said. She also recalled that George enjoyed rhumba music and dedicated much of his life to his children.
Emily reflected on their marriage, noting it was a difficult decision. She first met George in 1993 and struggled to accept marrying a military man, a sentiment initially shared by her brother, who eventually grew to love him.
The helicopter crash claimed six lives: MP Johana Ng’eno, pilot George Were, Ng’eno’s personal photographer Nicholas (Nick) Kosgei, Kenya Forest Service officer Amos Kipngetich Rotich, teacher Robert Kipkoech Keter (Carlos Keter), and Narok County protocol officer Wycliffe Kiprotich Rono.
The helicopter, registered 5Y-DSB, went down in the Chepkiep area of Mosop, Nandi County, and caught fire.
Friends and family at the burial described George Were as gentle, disciplined, and loving, noting that his passing has left a profound void in their lives.
