Saitoti chopper ‘hit tree before crash’

• The low-flying aircraft rattled “abnormally”, Mr Salim Lekhishon Montet, a retired police officer on Tuesday told the Commission of Inquiry investigating the tragedy.
• He said the helicopter hit a tree in his compound before it disappeared in the horizon for about two minutes only to reappear heading in the opposite direction.
• The witness said he was among the first six people to arrive at the crash site where he salvaged four loaded gun magazines from near the feet of one of the passengers and saw Captain Nancy Gituanja still breathing.

The helicopter in which Internal Security minister George Saitoti and five other people died hit a tree and disappeared into the horizon with a trail of red fire and black smoke on its tail end before it crashed in Ngong Forest.

The low-flying aircraft rattled “abnormally”, Mr Salim Lekhishon Montet, a retired police officer on Tuesday told the Commission of Inquiry investigating the tragedy.

He said the helicopter hit a tree in his compound before it disappeared in the horizon for about two minutes only to reappear heading in the opposite direction.

Pilot was alive

The witness said he was among the first six people to arrive at the crash site where he salvaged four loaded gun magazines from near the feet of one of the passengers and saw Captain Nancy Gituanja still breathing.

“All were dead except the lady pilot who was strapped on her flying suit which was on fire. We tried to put out the fire,” Mr Montet said. He later handed over the magazines to a police officer before he and five other witnesses were chased away from the scene.

“I called the commandant of the police airwing and told him one of his aircraft had crashed but he did not believe me,” Mr Montet said. The accident on June 10 also claimed the lives of Prof Saitoti’s deputy Orwa Ojodeh, their two bodyguards and two pilots.

The witness said there was discharge of bullets from the guns the passengers had in the aircraft. He stated that when he first saw the aircraft it was flying “unusually low” from the Limuru direction towards Ngong and later saw it headed towards Nairobi.

“Its sound was not normal, it was as if metals were grinding or cracking against each other. It first hit a mature blue gum tree in our compound that is about 25 metres tall and disappeared,” the witness said.

He told the commission that when the helicopter reappeared, it was emitting fire and smoke. (READ: Fire ‘started in Saitoti chopper’)

Before the helicopter finally crashed into the forest, the funny sound went off, said Mr Montet, adding that the police commandant arrived at the scene aboard another helicopter but never asked him anything.

“He later called me on a Tuesday after the accident to his office where I recounted what I saw to eight other senior police officers.”

Record statement

Mr Montet was the 38th witness in the inquest and recorded his statement at the commission’s office last Monday.

Ms Anastacia Murei, who also testified on Tuesday, said the aircraft made an unusual sound and flew over a children’s home where it shook the temporary structures before it crashed some 200 metres away.

She said after they saw it plummet into the forest she called her brother who works at the police airwing to pass him the chilling message. The witness said she lost sight of the aircraft after it flew over the children’s home as a separate building obstructed her view but heard a loud bang soon after.

A herdsman, Mr Patrick Ndung’u, told the commission he saw a cloud of smoke from the crash site. Crime scene specialists, a pathologist and the Ngong District CID boss are expected to testify on Wednesday before the commission that is led by Lady Justice Kalpana Rawal.