Emurua Dikiir MP Mr Johana Ng'eno, who died in a helicopter crash on Saturday, often expressed his views on the different communities that live in the Rift Valley.
Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Mr Rigathi Gachagua mourned him as "a true patriot and agitator for his community's wellbeing”. He demanded a thorough investigation into the cause of the fatal accident that killed five other people.
Fellow Rift Valley politician, Johanna Kamilan, claims that the late MP was in talks with the United Opposition principals led by Mr Gachagua to host them in Narok on April 19.
Mr Kamilan further claims that Mr Ng'eno was instrumental in helping Mr Gachagua bag the Narok Town ward seat in the November 27, 2025 by-elections.
On the day news of the horror crash emerged, Mr Gachagua eulogised Ng’eno as an effective leader in pursuing land rights for marginalised communities in the Rift Valley and nurturing peace in the politically volatile region.
The former deputy president said he was partnering with community leaders, led by Mr Ng'eno, in seeking compensation and resettlement of Mau Forest Internally Displaced Persons.
On September 3, 2019, Mr Ng'eno was arrested with other leaders while heading to Mau Forest following the government's announcement of planned evictions.
Emurua Dikirr Member of Parliament Johana Ng’eno during an event in Embu County on November 12, 2023.
Photo credit: Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media Group
In a recent interview with vernacular radio stations from the Rift Valley, Mr Gachagua said: "...I hail leaders like Ng'eno who have been at the forefront of resisting government-sponsored land grabbing and killings of those who dare oppose it".
Former long-serving Provincial Commissioner, Mr Joseph Kaguthi, however has a different memory of Mr Ng’eno.
He recalls the MP’s arrest on September 7, 2020, on accusations of abusive language against the then President Uhuru Kenyatta and his mother, Mama Ngina.
"He had severally been arrested for saying the wrong things including against both the Mount Kenya community and national matriarch Mama Ngina Kenyatta," Mr Kaguthi said.
“Not once had Mt Kenya elders especially from the Central region sought audience with him to try and strike a mutual understanding of reducing toxicity in our relations for the sake of cohesion in the Rift Valley," Mr Kaguthi said.
Oburu Oginga: Don't read malice in MP Johana Ng'eno’s death
The Rift Valley is a cultural melting pot that hosts communities from different parts of the country who migrated to the region in search of more expansive land and business opportunities.
Kikuyu Council of elders Chairman, Mr Wachira Kiago, describes Mr Ng'eno as “a passionate man in defense of Kipsigis interests".
Mr Kiago says the Mt Kenya region leaders saw in him a man instrumental in unlocking good relations among all tribes in Rift Valley.
The former deputy president Mr Gachagua, who is working to craft an alliance capable of voting out President William Ruto in next year’s General Election, has flagged the Angata Barakoi clashes that occurred on April 28, 2025, resulting in the deaths of five people and injuries to several others, including police officers, as a campaign tool.
The violence erupted during a protest against the planned demarcation of a contested 6,300-acre land in the Moyoi Adjudication Section.
The clashes were sparked by the arrival of government surveyors and police officers to begin the land adjudication process, which was met with resistance from residents claiming ancestral ownership of the land.
Mr Ng'eno was to hit headlines as he showed up to confront the police, whom he accused of butchering his people for no justifiable reason.
In a high-profile security meeting that was held in the area, Mr Ng'eno read the riot act to the team that was led by Inspector General of Police Mr Douglas Kanja, stating that residents would resist land grabbing and State brutality.
Trans Nzoia Governor Mr George Natembeya, who served as Rift Valley regional commissioner, told Nation that Mr Ng'eno was a man the security machinery could not ignore.
Emmurua Dikirr Member of Parliament Johana Ngeno speaks at Kipsinge in Sotik constituency, Bomet county on March 28, 2024.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
"He was a gentleman, but when the interests of his community were threatened, he was a time bomb. That is why security focused on his political character, arresting him once in a while to tame him, some other times to save him against threats he attracted to himself through his utterances and deeds" Mr Natembeya said.
"We needed him to win peace in Narok County. He also had diplomatic relations with neighbouring leaders where Kalenjins and Maasai live. He was a nationalist, yes, when it served him right, but a determined regionalist when circumstances demanded," the governor noted.
"Mr Ng'eno was a critical voice in discussions about how the Rift Valley could be made more secure for perceived ‘outsiders’, especially those from Mt Kenya who feel uneasy in every electoral cycle," Mr Natembeya said.
"I can tell you for free that Mr Ng'eno was a friend of Mt Kenya people in the Rift Valley," Mr Natembeya said.
Trans-Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Kajiado North MP, Onesmus Ngogoyo, on Sunday told Nation that Ngeno had a special spot in his heart for the Mt Kenya people.
"Not once did he publicly say he saw enterprise mentality of Mt Kenya people as a complimenting attribute for the Rift Valley economy. He was for peaceful coexistence and we jointly attended peace meetings with the National Security Committee to find peace guarantees in the Rift Valley," Mr Ngogoyo said.
"Mr Ng'eno was growing restless with the fallout between President Ruto and Mt Kenya people,” Mr Ngogoyo said. “He was of the opinion that those who advised the incumbent to impeach Mr Gachagua erred".
Kajiado North MP Onesmus Ngogoyo addresses the press. He wants the Kajiado County government to implement the Rainwater Harvesting Law.
Photo credit: Stanley Ngotho | Nation Media Group
But the late MP signed up for the Motion to impeach Mr Gachagua and subsequently voted to have him removed as deputy president.
Last week, Mr Gachagua claimed Mr Ng’eno explained to him that he was under pressure from the government to vote in favour of the Motion.
