The placid morning calm of Lake Nakuru does nothing to ease the pain in Rehab Nyawira’s heart. Instead, it reminds her of the crash that took away the love of her life.
She was pregnant with their daughter when Sammy Gitau died in a helicopter crash. Their daughter—now two years—has given her unmatched happiness, yet, that same happiness is tinged with inexplicable pain.
MADE WORSE
The sparkle in their daughter’s eyes pierces through her heart, as it has a striking resemblance to Gitau’s.
“It has not been easy for us. These have been the worst two years of my life. It took away my happiness,” Nyawira told the Nation Wednesday.
Gitau was among the five people who perished when a helicopter destined for a political rally in Mau-Narok crashed into Lake Nakuru on October 21.
Days have turned into months and months to years, yet, time has not lessened the pain of families who lost their loved ones.
The pain of losing Gitau, John Ndirangu, alias Mapozi, Anthony Kipyegon, Veronica Muthoni, and Apollo Malowa (pilot) was exacerbated by the fact that for two years, they had no information about what caused the crash.
HYPERTENSION
To these families, the Flex Air Charters helicopter that crashed into the lake took away their pillars.
“It was one thing to lose my husband, and another never finding his body to bury,” Nyawira said hours after the Transport ministry released a report blaming the pilot for the crash.
The report stated that Malowa was flying under the influence of alcohol, and failed to recognise the loss of altitude, excessive banking to the left, and the obstacle proximity from the aircraft, 5Y-NMJ, operated by Flex Air.
“The report is out about what caused the accident, yes, but can the government now tell me where Sammy’s body is. Right now, my girl is two years old and I really would like to just give my last respects or maybe know they are one day coming home. Life is not easy. It’s not,” she said.
Ms Nyawira said Gitau’s death shocked his mother who ended up developing hypertension.
NEVER FOUND
“Mum is not okay health wise because she developed hypertension after the incident. I would like the government to consider the families. Even the other families are not fine. They are suffering in silence and maybe compensation will make them feel a little better,” she said.
The bodies of Gitau and Mapozi were never found and the search and recovery operation was called off after 25 days.
On February 10, 2018, families of the two conducted a memorial service by the lake .
Gitau’s mother, Margaret Wairimu, is devastated by the fact that his body was never found.
“From that time, I have never seen my son. Whatever happened to him, I still believe that he will one day come back home. I have never known peace since the crash happened,” said Wairimu.
She said Gitau was helping pay fees for his sister at Dedan Kimathi University and after his death, they have been struggling.
DAY AND NIGHT
Mapozi’s mother, Florence Nyambura told the Nation that she has endured a lot of stress since the accident and that she prefers not to talk about or hear anything about the crash.
“I have nothing to say. I have not seen my son. What more would a bereaved mother wish for if not seeing the remains of her child and burying them.
“I even told the government that I had left everything to God so that I can concentrate on the other part of life” she told the Nation by phone.
The search and recovery operation for the bodies of the five victims of the crash by the Kenya Police Airwing, the Kenya Navy, private divers and volunteering local divers lasted for 25 days but only three bodies were retrieved.
The families spend days and nights by the lake, waiting for the bodies to be found.
A day after the crash, the Kenya Police Airwing helicopter flew over the lake and reported spotting aircraft parts and oil spillage floating over the water.
The information gave a green light to the search and rescue operation that was conducted from 7.30am to 3.30pm every day.
WRECKAGE
Parts of the helicopter were found north of the lake near the shore scattered over a stretch of 100m, before the first body was retrieved on October 22.
The next day, the body of the pilot was recovered 4 Kilometres away from the point where the first body was retrieved.
Rescuers said the operation was being hampered by extremely high levels of raw sewage, dirt and silt under the waters. Even the team of divers from the Kenya Navy found it difficult to manoeuvre the lake despite being equipped with down vision sonar GPS.
Later, a team of geologists from the Mining joined the rescue team at the lake but they left days later after they complained of lack of facilitation.
The Kenya Navy later on November 17, located the main wreckage of the plane, and Veronica’s body was found inside the plane in the front left seat of the helicopter.
GENEROSITY
All these while, the families of the deceased passengers and pilot spent the days at the shores of the lake, hoping that the bodies of their loved ones would be retrieved, but the operation to retrieve the other two bodies proved futile.
*****
Two weeks before she died in the Lake Nakuru helicopter crash, Veronica Muthoni, then 23-years-old, took her mother Jane Magiri Gachuki, 46, on a tour of Kabatini.
Her mission was clear: she wanted to buy land to build some rental houses for her family.
With her parents having exhausted their savings on her education, Muthoni told her mother that she wanted to pay back their generosity that saw her get a secondary education and other tertiary qualifications.
“She took me to Kabatini and told me that it was time that she builds some rental houses for us so that they could sustain us,” Ms Gachuki said yesterday at Kabatini trading centre in Bahati sub-county.
WEIGHED DOWN
It is in this centre where Muthoni was born 25 years ago and buried two years ago.
She is now battling ulcers that she developed soon after she received the report about her daughter’s death. Since then life has been unbearable for her.
Muthoni’s father David Gachuki is devastated too and weighed down by the death of his first born daughter.
Muthoni was part of Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika’s campaign team that crashed into Lake Nakuru on October 21, 2017.
Distraught as he is, Mr Gachuki leads us to a small farm adjacent to the village and together with his wife, points to the grave currently covered by grass.
“It’s here where my daughter lies. All the dreams and aspirations she had for her life were buried here. I have a feeling that my daughter was destined for the best in life but she never fulfilled it. It’s God’s plan but as a parent, it is too painful,” said Mr Gichuki.
DAILY ERRANDS
At 50 years-old, he told the Nation that he had to stop all his daily errands to attend to his wife who developed ulcers that have since never healed.
“My wife is battling the problem and I have to stand with her. This is not her. She has lost weight and is always thinks about her daughter and the possible trying moment she went through as she stared at death” Mr Gichuki said.
Muthoni, who would have turned 25 this year, was buried in her father’s farm next to her grandmother’s grave.
He remembered her daughter as a God-fearing girl who had hopes of driving the family to a successful future.
During her last days on earth, Mr Gichuki said the deceased sat with him and deliberated on how she would assist in paying school fees for her two siblings.
“My second daughter is currently at Jomo Kenyatta University of Science and Technology (Jkuat) and she had promised to pay for her education. I can vividly tell that I lost a jewel in the name of my daughter,” he said.
DISTURBING
The couple did not want to say anything about the pilot after a report by the Transport Cabinet Secretary blamed him for the crash.
Instead, they said the silence by the government on matters compensation were disturbing.
“We are suffering because we used a lot of resources on our daughter as we had high hopes in her. Unfortunately the worst happened. Nobody was prepared for it. May our daughter rest in peace, the couple said before seeing us off.
Ms Gichuki has also developed a dislike for the farm because of her daughter’s the grave.
“Sometimes I really wish to come and cultivate, but when I see the grave, I break down. It’s bad,” she said.
AIRWORTHY
On Monday, the Ministry of Transport released a report that blamed the pilot for the crash. The report stated that the pilot flouted aviation rules by flying under the influence of alcohol and at a very low altitude.
The pilot in command lost control of the helicopter after the helicopter pitched up, rolled to left and lost altitude thereby colliding with the lake.
“The helicopter submerged and sunk to the bottom of the lake which was approximately 8m in depth,” it states.
The investigation finding indicated that the aircraft had a valid certificate of airworthiness and the pilot was qualified and certified to fly the helicopter.