Miracle Escape: PS Ng'eno Cheats Death in Horrific Kericho Helicopter Crash

A Kenya Forest Service (KFS) helicopter, registration 5Y-FSK, carrying Environment Principal Secretary Festus Ng’eno and four other individuals, crashed at Kericho Golf Club on October 12, 2026. All five occupants remarkably escaped death in the incident, which occurred after what witnesses described as a series of troubled take-off attempts. Kericho County Police Commander Kivida Kilonzo confirmed that no fatalities were reported, though one occupant was immediately taken to South Rift Hospital, and PS Ng’eno was later transferred to Kisumu for further medical attention.

The aircraft went down moments after lifting off, scattering wreckage across the golf club grounds. The helicopter sustained significant damage, with its rotor blade broken and the tail section extensively damaged. A strong smell of aviation fuel permeated the crash site as emergency teams worked to secure the area and assess the full extent of injuries to the remaining occupants.

Witnesses at the scene recounted a concerning sequence of events leading up to the crash. Local caddie John Kebaso observed the aircraft making an unsteady landing before it began shaking lightly on the ground. He then saw the pilot return to the helicopter and engage in an argument with people nearby, after which the engines roared continuously for nearly ten minutes before falling silent. The helicopter subsequently turned, stopped briefly, and taxied back to its original position for another take-off attempt. After about two minutes, it lifted only a short distance, circled, and returned to the same spot. Kebaso further noted that the aircraft later took on fuel and climbed briefly before once again returning to the golf course.

Another eyewitness, Alex Koech, corroborated the reports of difficulties, stating that the helicopter had experienced issues even before the take-off attempts witnessed by Kebaso. According to Koech, ground crews and the pilot spent approximately 40 minutes struggling to start the aircraft after it initially failed to fire up properly. It eventually started, lifted briefly, circled, and returned. The pilot then restarted the aircraft and stepped outside before passengers were allowed to re-board. However, the helicopter again appeared to struggle, with the pilot seen wrestling with the controls in what witnesses interpreted as an attempt to manage irregular operation or shut down the engines. The prolonged struggle left those at the golf club increasingly concerned. Eventually, the helicopter took off again around 12:45 pm, carrying three men and one woman, remaining airborne for about 20 minutes after an earlier short flight of roughly five minutes. Koech described the incident as a