Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has called for an urgent and thorough investigation into the helicopter crash that claimed the life of  Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno and five others in Mosop, Nandi County.

In a statement, Kalonzo urged authorities to investigate the cause of the accident swiftly and appealed to the government to offer full support to the bereaved families.

“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Johana Ng’eno and the five other victims who lost their lives in this tragic accident. As a nation, we stand in solidarity with the grieving families during this painful time,” Kalonzo said, adding that the departed should be remembered with honour and dignity.

Authorities have since released preliminary details of those who were on board the ill-fated helicopter, registration 5Y-D5B, which crashed at the Chepkieb area in Mosop shortly after take-off at around 4:45 pm.

Local administrators who responded to the incident said they arrived at the scene to find wreckage strewn across the crash site, with bodies scattered nearby.

Among those confirmed dead was MP Johana Ng’eno, who was travelling with members of his team at the time of the crash. 

The pilot has been identified as George Were, a resident of Nyakach in Kisumu County.

Also killed in the crash was Amos Kipngetich Rotich, a forester and bodyguard attached to the MP and a native of Emurua Dikirr. 

Bomet-based cameraman Nick Koskey was also among the victims.

Other passengers who lost their lives include Carlos Keter, a high school teacher from Emurua Dikirr, and Wycliffe Rono, an employee of the Narok County government and a resident of Emurua Dikirr.

Authorities further indicated that two of the bodies recovered from the wreckage were burnt beyond recognition, complicating immediate identification efforts as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.