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Bad weather cuts short Matiang’i’s flight to Kapenguria

By Amina Wako November 25th, 2019 1 min read

Bad weather forced Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s chopper to an emergency landing in Eldoret on Monday morning while he was on his way to Kapenguria.

According to Citizen TV, the government chopper was ferrying Matiang’i, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa and Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai but the pilot was advised to land in Eldoret.

LANDSLIDES

Matiang’i, Eugene and Mutyambai were heading to Kapenguria Referral Hospital to meet victims of Saturday’s West Pokot landslides that left more than 45 people dead.

The three were also planning to meet up with leaders in West Pokot during the visit.

“We have forced to land in Eldoret, we were on our way to Kapenguria Referral Hospital to meet the leader of West Pokot and the victims of the mudslides that happened in Kapenguria,” Matiang’i said.

Dr Matiang’i, who was also accompanied by Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya, added that the chopper left Nairobi at 8:30am but they were advised by pilots and experts to land in Eldoret.

HEAVY RAINS

“It looks like it’s very difficult for the helicopters we are using to fly into Kapenguria because it’s still raining. It’s very foggy, and visibility is not very good. Because of safety and security considerations, we have been advised to divert to Eldoret,” said the CS.

The CS said they wanted to be on the ground to see how to help the locals following the deadly landslides.

He added that they will wait for advisory from the experts to know their next move.

“We will have to wait a bit to see whether it will clear and whether we will be advised again to get back on air and fly to Kapenguria,” he added.