National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over his handling of the death of Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno, who perished in a helicopter crash on February 28, 2026.
Ng’eno died alongside five others when an Airbus H125 helicopter crashed and burst into flames in a forested area near Chepkiep, Mosop Sub-County, Nandi County. The MP had earlier attended an event in Endebess before boarding the ill-fated aircraft.
Moments after news of the crash broke, Gachagua addressed a rally in Nyahururu, announcing Ng’eno’s death to the crowd. “Tumepata habari ya kwamba mjumbe wa Emurua Dikirr, pale Kipsigis, Johana Ngeno, ameaga dunia, kwa ajali ya helicopter,” he said, describing Ng’eno as a key leader in the Kipsigis community. He called for a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash and led the crowd in observing a minute of silence.
Later, Gachagua posted on X expressing his sorrow. “I am very saddened by the news of the tragic death of Hon Johanna Ngeno, the MP for Emurua Dikirr, in a helicopter crash,” he wrote, adding that Ng’eno had been a close friend. He reiterated his demand for “thorough and speedy investigations into the cause of the crash that must be made public.”
However, Ichung’wah condemned Gachagua’s actions during a heated parliamentary session on March 3, accusing him of insensitivity and political opportunism. “Even before the immediate family gets to know of the loss of a loved one, you are there in a political rally announcing their death. It’s shameful, Honourable Speaker,” Ichung’wah said.
He went on to describe Gachagua in harsh terms, calling him “a dark man with a very black and dark heart and soul,” and accusing him of exploiting tragedy for political gain. “Somebody who has no feeling, no respect for family, no respect for anybody. Somebody who has scavenged on anything, including death, to try and drive or get some political capital,” he said.
Ichung’wah further accused Gachagua of attempting to use Ng’eno’s death to stoke ethnic divisions. “Shame on you that you should use the departure of one of us to do your cheap ethnic-based politics or even imagine that you can incite one sub-tribe against another or one community against another,” he added.
The Majority Leader noted that he had visited Ng’eno’s family earlier that morning alongside the Speaker and witnessed their grief firsthand. “Honourable Speaker, you were at Ngeno’s house this morning. You saw how distraught that family is. It’s sad that somebody who purports to be a leader, and I don’t know of what because he leads nothing, can use such an opportunity to be seen like you are celebrating the passing on of another human being,” Ichung’wah said. “That is what a man with a black heart does. That is what those with dark souls do. And I say shame on them as we mourn our colleague and the five other Kenyans who lost their lives.”
The late Johana Ng’eno, a two-term MP known for his outspoken nature, is remembered as a vocal advocate for his constituents and a prominent figure in Rift Valley politics. Funeral arrangements are underway as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.
