Firebrand Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno, a third-term legislator known for his no-holds-barred politics and most recently a towering champion of Kalenjin music and culture, was on Saturday among six people killed after a helicopter they were travelling in crashed and burst into flames in Mosop, Nandi County.
Until his death, the MP was the chairman of the Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works Committee of the National Assembly.
Others in the chopper who perished in the 4:45pm accident were the pilot, who the police did not name, a Kenya Forest Service ranger, the late MP’s camera person, and a Narok County Government Protocol official.
Nandi County police boss Samuel Mukuusi only confirmed the MP’s death, saying the others will be named in due course.
President William Ruto mourned the MP as a “progressive and devoted servant of the people who worked tirelessly7 om behalf of the residents of Emurua Dikkir”. He also sent condolences to the families and friends of the five other victims.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said: “My prayers go to the family and constituents of my dear friend Johana Ng’eno, Member of Parliament for Emurua Dikirr Constituency, following his demise in a tragic helicopter crash earlier this evening. Hon Johanna Ng’eno was a fearless man, courageous leader and a committed member of our party.”
“He loved Kenya and he deeply cherished his heritage. It is incredibly difficult to come to terms with this sudden loss of a great son of our nation. May his memory last forever, and his soul find peace in eternity,” the DP added.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula celebrated Mr Ngeno as a dependable parliamentarian and leader.
A scene where a chopper crashed at Chepkiep Village in Mosop Sub-County of Nandi County on February 28, 2026, where six occupants died on the spot.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation
“Mr Johana Ngeno was serving his third consecutive term in Parliament, having first been elected in 2013. Until his untimely demise, he served with distinction as the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works and also a Member of the Liaison Committee. Under his leadership, the Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works Committee played an instrumental role in the passage of the Affordable Housing Act, 2024, which established a framework for development and access to decent and affordable housing for Kenyans,” Mr Wetang’ula said.
The Speaker named a team led by Tinderet MP Julius Melly and his Buuri counterpart Mugambi Rindikiri, and eight other Members, to liaise with the family to coordinate support for the family, including send-off, upon decision by the family.
The Nation has pieced together the last moments of the MP and the five other occupants of the chopper.
According to eyewitnesses, the chopper had earlier landed at Chepkiep at around 4:30 pm, over what they later learnt was due to bad weather.
The pilot is said to have briefly engaged curious villagers before deciding to take back to the skies.
But it was to be a brief journey as a few seconds later, and two kilometres away, it developed problems before coming down in the vast forest.
Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
When the Nation team arrived at the scene, the six victims who had been extensively burnt were thrown several metres away.
“There was a lot of mist due to the ongoing heavy rains. The chopper started moving in circles while airborne before crashing in the forest and bursting into flames," said David Chepkwony Maiyo, an eyewitness.
Villagers who were first at the scene reported the difficulty in accessing the area and how they were forced to watch helplessly as the bodies were consumed by fire.
"Accessing the scene was very difficult due to rough terrain. The flame was too huge, and we could not fight it," said Mary Chepkiech, a witness.
The MP’s bodyguard, Kiplangat Cheruiyot, was present at the scene and identified the bodies of his boss and his colleagues.
As at 8.45pm on Saturday night, the bodies were still at the scene, waiting to be moved to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) mortuary and were expected to be airlifted to Nairobi later.
The accident brought an end an illustrious career of a firebrand politician who was said to have had lofty ambitions. He had become a household name not only in Narok but also in the larger Rift Valley.
For the last three years, Mr Ngeno, a famed patron of the Kalenjin Music Festival Awards, has held glitzy, multimillion events where artistes are awarded for their talent in a voting plan to celebrate their talent.
He had extended the event to Uganda, where the Sebei community, closely related to the Kalenjin of Kenya, have held a similar fete, with Mr Ngeno present at Kapchorua, Uganda, twice in the last six months alone.
This music enterprise has seen him also visit artistes in their homes, celebrate their anniversaries and lead fundraising efforts, with a clarion call that music and such talents should not equal poverty.
Hours before his death, Mr Ngeno was in Trans Nzoia for a similar function, in celebrating Artiste Kim Kim’s remarkable 35th anniversary in the music industry.
Earlier, Mr Ngeno had attended two other functions.
First, the MP was in the Mara where he joined the family of the late Snr Chief ole Rurumo and Ole Kipembeu and the search and rescue team at Mara Rianta to locate and retrieve the bodies of two young men whose vehicle was swept away by the raging waters of the Mara River on Sunday.
Earlier, he had posted a video of him in the ill-fated chopper, together with his team, while on the ground in talks with the rescue team and the villagers.
He then later attended a function in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County, hosted by MP Robert Pukose.
The Endebess function, the MP posted on his social media, was at Kapkugo, Tulwop Kony for the artiste Mr Kim’s event.
