Mama Emily Were, widow of Captain George Were, has recounted the heartbreak of discovering her husband’s death through social media, a moment she said left her struggling to process the sudden loss.
George Were was the pilot of a helicopter that crashed in Nandi County on 28 February 2026, killing six people, including Johana Ng’eno, the MP for Emurua Dikirr.
Learning the Tragic News
Speaking during her husband’s burial on Saturday, Emily described the moment she realised the unthinkable:
“I had the phone in my hand and then started seeing news. When I realised it was him on social media, my first instinct was to call my children because, the way social media is, they were going to see it within the next 10 minutes or so.”
She first instructed her son, Sammy, to call his brother Joseph, who was very close to their father. Before she could contact her daughter, Stacy, Joseph had already informed her.
“When I called her, she was bitter that she was hearing it from her brother and did not talk to me for two days,” Emily recalled.
Standing beside Stacy at the podium, Emily’s voice broke under the weight of sorrow, while her daughter’s quiet sobs reflected deep grief.
Remembering George Were
Emily described her late husband as a man devoted to family and peace.
“Our children used to call him Mpenda Amani (one who loves peace),” she said.
She shared that George had a love for rhumba music and cherished spending time with his children.
Emily also revealed that their marriage, which began after they met in 1993, was not an easy decision—her family initially struggled to accept George, but eventually grew to love him.
The Helicopter Crash
The tragic crash claimed the lives of six individuals:
Johana Ng’eno – Emurua Dikirr MP
George Were – pilot
Nicholas (Nick) Kosgei / Nick Koskey – MP’s personal photographer
Amos Kipngetich Rotich – Kenya Forest Service officer
Robert Kipkoech Keter (Carlos Keter) – teacher
Wycliffe Kiprotich Rono – protocol officer, Narok
County government
The helicopter, registered 5Y-DSB, crashed and burst into flames in the Chepkiep area of Mosop, Nandi County.
Friends and family at the burial described George Were as a gentle, disciplined, and loving man whose death has left a profound void in their lives.
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