The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has confirmed that all four occupants aboard its helicopter were safe and accounted for after the aircraft crashed at Kericho Golf Club on Monday, October 12, 2026.
In its first official statement on the incident, the agency said the helicopter, registration number 5Y-FSK, was involved in a crash at Kericho Club on Monday morning.
KFS clarified that the aircraft had one pilot and three passengers, all of whom survived the incident, without disclosing their identities or providing details about the extent of damage to the helicopter.
“There were four occupants, namely one pilot and three passengers. All the four are safe and accounted for,” the agency said in a media statement dated October 12, 2026.
The announcement offered reassurance following reports of the crash in Kericho County, where the incident drew attention because of the reported presence of senior government officials aboard the aircraft.
KFS launches investigations into helicopter crash
The forestry agency said the crash site had been secured, paving the way for investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“The area has been secured and investigations will commence to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident,” KFS stated.
The agency did not provide details on what happened immediately before the helicopter went down or identify any factors that may have contributed to the crash.
Earlier reports identified Environment and Climate Change Principal Secretary Festus K. Ng’eno among those aboard the helicopter. However, the KFS statement did not name the passengers or specifically confirm Ng’eno’s condition.
The agency’s account placed the number of occupants at four, differing from earlier reports that had suggested a higher number. The official statement did not explain the discrepancy.
Heavy rains were reported in the area around the time of the incident, but KFS did not establish any connection between the weather and the crash.
The investigation is expected to clarify the circumstances surrounding the incident, including what happened during the aircraft’s attempted take-off.
KFS directed members of the public seeking further information to contact the agency through its official email address.
Further details on the cause of the crash, the condition of the aircraft and the identities of the occupants had not been provided in the statement.
The agency said investigations would establish what led to the incident as authorities work to determine the circumstances surrounding the helicopter’s crash at Kericho Golf Club.
