Inside the chilling deaths of George Saitoti and Orwa Ojode. What really happened?

George Saitoti was one of the most prolific politicians Kenya has ever had. He served as the country’s sixth Vice President from 1989 to 2002 during president Moi’s tenure. At the time of his death, he was serving Internal Security minister deputized by the Late Orwa Ojode. He died on 10th June, 2012 in a horrific helicopter crash on a Sunday morning while he and Ojode were on their way to Homa Bay for a church fundraiser.

Saitoti’s death was very poignant. Just two days earlier, he had addressed a packed convention of parliamentarians in a Mombasa hotel. Those in attendance described his speech as evidently powerful and rousing.

The outspoken politician who was known to leave nothing to chance about his personal safety had earlier on narrated in parliament about an attempt to poison him when he was the country’s vice president. Those who interacted with him describe him as paranoid, always looking over his shoulder; who gave a weak and very brief handshakes due to fear of hidden needles – Cold War style. He was rumored to always wear a bulletproof vest under his shirt whenever he was in a public gathering. In fact he refused to sleep in the hotel room 213 that had been booked for him. Instead, he secretly booked another hotel a few blocks away and let his bodyguard sleep in room 213.

The Helicopter crash took place inside Ngong Forest just a few kilometers from Nairobi. The scene was terrifying. That chilly Sunday morning, shocked Kenyans were glued to their TV screens. Scenes of the fire, ashes and charred human remains as the journalists on live coverage kept the cameras rolling without and form of filters.

A total of six people lost their lives in the fatal crash. Apart from Ojode and Saitoti, the other four other people were two Kenya Police officers who were their bodyguards and two Police pilots, Luke Oyugi and Nancy Gitwanja.
Investigations into the fatal accident went into gear. There were many theories from several sources claiming to unravel the mysterious deaths. One of the sources a former female legislator claimed that Saitoti’s death was a perfectly choreographed murder plot. Saitoti had earlier on announced his intention to run for Kenya’s presidency.

The Helicopter in which they were flying belonged to the Police, a Eurocopter AS-350. It was reported that it had a normal trajectory 6 minutes after takeoff; thereafter, the control tower at Wilson Airport lost all communication with the two pilots.

The crash was then reported 10 minutes after takeoff according the aviation flight recording systems. The Helicopter is said to have whirled midair as it dropped before crashing among the trees. The flight recorders also revealed that there was no input from the two pilots at all during the time when the chopper began its descent until the moment of impact. This raises a lot of eye brows.

The six bodies were taken for autopsy. However, the autopsy results from the government pathologist were inconclusive. They only revealed that the bodies suffered from burns and injuries which is assumed to have led to their deaths, but there seemed to have been more than meets the eye.

One key component that seemed to have been overlooked was the cherry pink appearance on the bodies. This coloration could tell a different story: It is likely that the victims may have been poisoned either by carbon monoxide or cyanide. Moreover, each one of them had traces of soot in their trachea and respiratory system. Meaning that some parts of the helicopter may have been on fire while the helicopter was still on air. It could also mean that they were still alive shortly after the impact.

It later on reported that carbon monoxide was detected in three of the victims’ blood at the concentration of 14mls per 100 MLS of blood. The three were, George Saitoti and the two pilots, Oyugi and Nancy. The Carboxyhemoglobin levels were more than 30%, which suggested that the three may have died even before the crash happened, or they fell unconscious mid-air before dying due to the crash.

Reports indicated that there were no inputs from the two pilots 3 minutes before the crash. Something that highly supports the theory above that the pilots may have been poisoned. During the investigations, the Helicopter’s safety was also put into question. It’s servicing, 200 Hours after being flown from Johannesburg, South Africa, was not satisfactory according to aviation experts. The technician who inspected the chopper was said to be unlicensed.

Interestingly, the chopper’s VEMD, a very crucial part as it indicates any malfunctioning in a helicopter was replaced with a prototype. This advances the theory that the poorly serviced helicopter might have caught fire mid-air due malfunctioning. Consequently, the fumes from its parts might have led to the poisoning which eventually led to the crash.

It is also worth noting that before his death, Saitoti had planned to give out names of individuals involved in narcotic trade in Kenya. Consequently, MPs claimed that Saitoti may have been murdered by the drug lords before he could spill the beans.

However, several questions are still left unanswered about the crash. One is whether Captains Oyugi and Nancy were qualified to fly that helicopter on that fateful day. It also turned out that they were hurriedly called as substitutes and not originally scheduled to fly the helicopter on that day.

Additionally, there are unfinished autopsy reports from the government pathologists that have never been concluded to date adding this accident to the long list of famous mysterious deaths in Kenya.

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