"Our sons are irreplaceable": Emurua Dikirr families mourn loss of MP Ngeno, aide and two staff

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Four families hailing from Emurua Dikirr Sub-County in Narok County are mourning the loss of their Member of Parliament (MP) Johana Ngeno, his aide Wycliffe Rono, his bodyguard Amos Rotich and his staff Carlos Keter.

The four were among six victims who were killed in a fatal chopper crash at Mosop in Nandi County on February 28.

Close family members and relatives were overwhelmed with emotions when the shocking news broke, with some brutally finding they had lost their uncle through social media.

Family spokesperson Peter Rotich, who had the strength to speak, said his uncle Ngeno was his mentor since he was young, and he used to help him in business.

He said that as a family, they had lost a leader who helped raise the standards of the family as a father figure and the sub-county as an MP.

“We were shocked by the news. We gathered all the family members and informed them of the loss. However, we only told my grandmother that her son had died the following day,” said Rotich.

He said that despite the loss, they believed that someone else in the community would take up the leadership position and continue saving the sub-county from poverty.

“We may not replace him, but we are hopeful that we will get another leader who will help develop this sub-county,” said Rotich.

He called for the family members to be calm and strong as investigations continue on what caused the accident.

He called on the government to investigate chopper crash incidents, which had claimed the lives of top leaders in the country.

“We have so many questions. What is happening to our leaders, especially when they become popular and strong, they end up dead in chopper crashes,” he lamented.

Christopher Yegon, Ngeno’s driver, said the former MP gave him a job after his business went bankrupt and treated him as a son.

He said that the MP was very humble and even campaigned using a bicycle and fought until the sub-county was created.

“I feel sad every time I gaze at the MP’s seat because we used to move around the sub-county almost every week to see where improvements and developments were needed,” said Yegon.

David Ngetich, Ngeno’s uncle, said the MP demonstrated signs of leadership even when he was a young person, including being a prefect in Primary and Secondary school.

He recalled how Ngeno was arrested and detained, charged and threatened for defending his community, residents from his area and neighbouring sub-counties.

“He worked for all the communities. He is a brave leader, evident by his fight for Mau Forest and even Angata Barrikoi when the police were attacking residents,” said Ngetich.

A few kilometres from Emurua Dikirr centre, a second family is mourning the loss of Rono, Ngeno’s aide.

His wife, Lidia Rono, has been left to take care of their four children, including twins and a four-month-old baby, after his husband’s life was claimed in the crash.

The family is overwhelmed with emotions as they gather to praise the young soul who has been working with Ngeno since 2017.

Ms Lydia said that her husband left in the morning around 10am, and although she expected him back in the evening, she learnt of his death through social media photos and videos showing the chopper crashing and exploding.

“We knew it was the chopper he used and it is sad for us. We are shocked because he was very young and we had just started the family,” said Lydia.

She described him as a provider and a good father who not only took care of them but also his parents and other relatives.

Rono’s mother, Jane Sang, said her son was so close to his father, who was also a close friend and someone who cared for the family.

Rono’s father, Richard Sang, said that his son, popularly known as Sportpesa, called on the residents to remain united.

“It is very tough for me to speak at the moment, having lost my son who was our hero and worked with the MP for a long time, showing he was committed and hardworking,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of Keter’s family, the area’s elder, Koech Joseph, said that Keter was energetic and had only just started working. He said that he died without a family.

Jebet Tembur said Keter was very young and he had not figured out his life yet. She called for the government to intervene and rescue all the affected families in the area.