The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno was among five people injured on Monday when a Kenya Forest Service (KFS) helicopter crashed while taking off at Kericho Golf Club.
The helicopter, registration 5Y-FSK, went down on the club grounds near Famous Hotel in Kericho County and was extensively damaged. Photographs from the scene show the wreckage on a grassy field, with the tail section severed from the main fuselage.
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Kericho County Police Commander Kivindu Kilonzo confirmed that several occupants were hurt and taken to hospital in stable condition. No deaths had been reported by the time of the initial police assessment.
Emergency responders and security teams were sent to the scene to assess the situation. The cause of the crash had not been established at the time of publication, and investigations are expected to determine what went wrong during take-off.
The incident comes amid renewed attention to aviation safety after two fatal accidents in recent months. In August 2026, a helicopter carrying tourists crashed near Mount Ololokwe in Samburu County, killing all seven people on board after striking a rock formation near the summit and bursting into flames.
In September, a light training aircraft operated by the Kenya School of Flying crashed in the Kipeto area of Kajiado West Subcounty, killing a student pilot and a flight instructor. Initial reports linked that accident to poor visibility caused by heavy morning mist.
Authorities are expected to provide further details on the Kericho crash, including the condition of all occupants and the circumstances of the incident, as their assessment continues.
