Ng'eno was 'one of our finest', say Speakers

Parliament has described the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno as an exceptional legislator, gifted debater and devoted servant of his constituents.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi noted the late MPs' commitment to improving education, community welfare and peace.

“We take this opportunity to send our condolences collectively to the family, friends and constituents of honourable Ng’eno, as well as to the families of the pilot and the other members of his team who died in the crash,” said Wetang’ula yesterday at the family's home in Karen.

Ng’eno and five other people died in a helicopter crash in Mosop, Nandi County, on Saturday. Government pathologist Johansen Oduor yesterday said postmortems showed the deaths were caused by multiple injuries and burns sustained when the helicopter caught fire.

Wetang’ula said the Hose had lost one of its most disciplined and effective members — a third-term MP who chaired the Committee on Housing and oversaw key aspects of the government’s affordable housing programme.

He said Ng’eno played a central role in guiding the development of public markets and school hostels, and in shaping housing policy into regulations and law.

He described him as a gifted legislator who respected the Standing Orders, never spoke out of turn and consistently consulted colleagues before taking positions, earning admiration.

“As a Parliament, we have lost one of our finest in conduct, debate and leadership, a member who was doing his third term, who was privileged to be the chair of the Committee on Housing, overseeing the very critical government programme of affordable housing, development of public markets, development of hostels in schools, and formulating and improving and reviewing and evaluating the housing policies of this country to translate them into regulations and law.”

Addressing the Senate, Kingi noted that beyond his legislative role, Ng’eno remained focused on improving the lives of his constituents.

“The late Johana Ng’eno was also actively involved in promoting peace and social cohesion, often mediating inter-community conflicts and supporting vulnerable families facing hardship in his constituency, which made him a darling of the area residents,” said Kingi.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said the people of Emurua Dikirr had lost their "Nelson Mandela" for his long struggle to secure the creation of the constituency.

Ledama ole Kina (Narok) said Ng’eno was committed to fostering unity between the Maasai and Kipsigis communities. 

“As leaders, we should learn that life is short. We should serve those who gave us a chance to lead them well instead of lining our pockets with billions of shillings, which we will leave in this world when our day to leave comes,” he said.

Senators described him as a true embodiment of representation, asking colleagues to emulate him. 

“There is a need for investigations into the many crashes in which the country has lost several senior leaders, and it is important for it to be established what the problem was; whether it was the quality of the aircraft or the pilots needed refresher courses,” said Enoch Wambua of Kitui.

At the Karen home, Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya described the late as a colleague and friend. “I served as a temporary Speaker in the National Assembly, and Ng’eno’s contributions were unmatched, focused, people-centered and during his last days, you can see he was with the people always.”

A requiem for the victims will be held today at the Karen AGC Church and another tomorrow in Emurua Dikirr before the MP's burial on Friday.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has described the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno as the finest legislator and debater in Parliament.

Wetangula, who was accompanied by several MPs when they visited the home of the late MP in Karen, Nairobi, on Tuesday, heaped praises on the legislator.

Ngeno died on Saturday afternoon in a chopper crash. The pilot Capt Were, and five other support staff also died in the crash in Mosop Constituency, Nandi County.

“We take this opportunity to send our condolences collectively to the family, friends and constituents of Honourable Ng’eno and the family, friends of the other five passengers of the aircraft that perished with him, pilot Were, and the support team that the Honourable was travelling with, “ said Wetangula.

He added: “As a Parliament, we have lost one of our finest in conduct, debate and leadership, a Member who was doing his third term, who was privileged to be the Chair of the Committee on Housing, overseeing the very critical government programme of affordable housing, development of public markets, development of hostels in schools, and formulating and improving and reviewing and evaluating the housing policies of this country to translate them into regulations and law.”

Wetangula said the late Ng’eno was ‘a gifted Member of Parliament, never speaking out of turn or offending the Standing Orders of the House, and he constantly consulted to make rational decisions.”

“As a House of Parliament, as a country and its constituents, and above all, its family, we have lost heavily. And we send our condolences to the people of Kenya,” said Wetangula.

He said the tragedy reminds the nation of the one it suffered in Masabit County in 2006, where an air crash claimed the late North Horr Constituency MP Bonaya Godana and 13 others, including MPs.

“As we mourn, we pray to God to protect the families and also encourage the aviation authorities to ensure that regulations are enforced when the weather sounds and looks bad, what pilots should do, so that we don’t have a recurrence of this kind of tragedy,” he said.

Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya described the late as a colleague and friend. She said the country has lost a great leader.

“I have lost a friend and colleague. We joined Parliament at the same time, and as you know, we are from the same county. I served from 2013 for two terms as a Woman Representative for Narok County, and he was a very supportive and committed colleague throughout our stint in Parliament,” said CS Tuya.

She added: “I served as one of the temporary Speakers in the National Assembly and Ng’eno’s contributions were unmatched, focused, people-centered and during his last days, you can see he was with the people always.”

Ms Tuya called upon Kenyans to pray for the family, widows, and children for solace and strength during these sorrowful times.

The CS said the loss of the support staff was a double loss to her since she knew all of them and came from her village.

Tuya said Capt Were was an ex-military person who was a dedicated and focused pilot that she had flown with a few times. 

“I send my condolences to the families,  friends, and relatives, and the family will communicate with us when he is buried,” said CS Tuya.

The CS said a requiem mass for the late MP and five others will be held on Wednesday at Karen AGC Church and another one on Thursday in Emurua Dikirr before burial on Friday.

The Senate Speaker, Amason Kingi, led the house in eulogizing the deceased Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno as a leader who was committed to serving the people he represented in parliament.

Kingi told the house that, beyond his work within Parliament, the late Ng’eno was committed to improving the lives of the people of Emurua Dikirr, particularly in the areas of education, community welfare, and peaceful coexistence.

The Speaker told the Senate the deceased legislator championed access to education by facilitating the provision of school buses to several institutions and ensuring the timely disbursement of NG‑CDF bursaries to needy students.

“The late Johana Ng’eno was also actively involved in promoting peace and social cohesion, often mediating inter‑community conflicts and supporting vulnerable families facing hardship in his constituency, which made him a darling of the area residents,” said Kingi.

He said the late Ng’eno truly appreciated African culture and passionately promoted cultural activities, local talent, and the welfare of local artists and was the Patron of the Kalenjin Music Festival, an annual event that has grown into a significant platform for cultural expression.

Kingi told the house that it is particularly poignant that the tragic helicopter crash that claimed his life occurred as he was returning from Endebbes, where he had graced the 35th anniversary celebration of the music of local artist Kim Kim.

Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot said that Emurua Dikirr residents have lost their Nelson Mandela, who fought for the creation of the constituency and even won the Kilgoris Constituency seat in 2OO7 but was not declared, but waited for 2O13 when he got a chance to lead.

Cheruiyot said that it was high time we got a policy that aircraft should not leave where they are when the weather is bad, since the country has lost senior officials in the past through aircraft crashes, and that thorough investigations need to be done to ensure this does not take place again.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei, who was among the leaders who visited the scene where the accident occurred, told the house that he was affected and could not take any calls since the family had not been notified, and would later learn that many thought he was in the ill-fated aircraft.

Cherargei lauded the student nurse who tried to save lives and the area residents for using what they could to end the fire; otherwise, the bodies could have been burnt beyond recognition, since their little efforts ensured that Ng’eno and his five companions could be recognized.

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua said that the late legislator was the true embodiment of representation, recalling the incident in which he confronted security officers who were attacking his people, and that it was important for other leaders to learn from him.

“There was a need for investigations over the many crashes in which the country has lost several senior leaders, and it was important for it to be established what the problem was, whether it was the quality of the aircraft or whether the pilots needed refresher courses,” said Wambua.

Makueni Senator Daniel Maanzo said that the deceased legislators got elected thrice because he cared deeply for those who gave him a chance to be their leader, asking other leaders to emulate the high standards set by the gallant son of Narok County.

Narok Senator Ledama ole Kina said that Ng’eno was committed to uniting the Maasai and Kipsigis communities, who were neighbours in the county, and this was what dominated conversations that he held with friends and colleagues daily.

“As leaders, we should learn that life is short; we should serve those who gave us a chance to lead them well instead of lining our pockets with billions of shillings which we will leave in this world when our day to leave comes,” said Ledama.

Nominated Senator Veronica Maina said that the late legislator was an indefatigable defender of the vulnerable residents that he served as their leader, citing his quest to ensure that the Mau Forest evictees were taken care of, which put him at loggerheads with other leaders.

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi said that the deceased legislator spoke his mind regardless of which side of the political divide he belonged to and fought for the rights of the less fortunate in society.