Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has called for renewed scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the death of former Emurua Dikirr Member of Parliament (MP) Johana Ng’eno, who died alongside five others in a helicopter crash in February 2026.
Speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, August 11, Gachagua alleged that the fuel used to refuel the helicopter shortly before the crash had been transported from Lodwar.
The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader claimed that after Ng’eno was dropped off in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County, the helicopter proceeded to Eldoret to refuel before continuing with its journey.
Gachagua alleged that the pilot was unaware of the source of the fuel that was loaded onto the aircraft.
“On the fateful day after Ngeno was dropped at Endebess, the helicopter went to fuel in Eldoret. The pilot didn't know the fuel he was about to put in and had been transported to the scene from Lodwar,” Gachagua claimed.
He further alleged that Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) officials at Eldoret Airstrip intercepted a vehicle suspected of transporting the jet fuel and questioned its driver over where the fuel had come from.
According to Gachagua, the officials were subsequently directed from Nairobi to release the driver.
“Immediately, this KRA official and the police at Eldoret Airstrip were instructed from Nairobi to release the driver if they cared about their lives,” he alleged.
Gachagua questioned whether the fuel could have played a role in the helicopter's failure to gain sufficient altitude before the crash.
“Is it this fuel that caused the chopper not to pick up in high altitude? Is that why the pilot first came down and tried again to pick up? These are fundamental questions,” he posed.
The former Deputy President also called on authorities involved in the investigation, including the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA), to release CCTV footage from Eldoret Airstrip.
He argued that the footage could help establish what happened at the airfield when the helicopter stopped to refuel.
Gachagua’s allegations could renew scrutiny of the aircraft’s movements before the crash, the source and condition of the fuel used, and events surrounding its stop at Eldoret Airstrip.
Ng’eno died on February 28, 2026, alongside five other occupants after their helicopter crashed at Chepkiep in Mosop, Nandi County, amid poor visibility.
The official flight timeline released by the Ministry of Roads and Transport states that the helicopter made an emergency landing at Tabolwa at 4:20pm because of adverse weather conditions.
The pilot briefly interacted with residents before taking off again at 4:25pm. Air traffic control subsequently lost contact with the helicopter approximately one minute later.
Before the fatal flight, Ng’eno had been dropped off for a public function in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County. The helicopter then proceeded to Eldoret Airstrip, where it stopped to refuel before continuing its journey.
Gachagua now alleges that events surrounding that refuelling stop warrant further investigation.
